The Videus Charm
by OfPensandSwords
Summary: Some may consider him useless, but Ludo Bagman has been absolutely inspired by muggle sports channels. As a result, a camera charm has been created. It is ready to catch all the action of the Triwizard Tournament and broadcast it into every home over Wizarding Europe. Now Harriet is on the big screen, and the crowd is going to see a lot more than they bargained for. FEM/Harry.
1. Short Stuff

Hello, this is primarily an action fic, with a sprinkling of romance. The fic stays close to the source material but should be known that I have taken liberties with my portrayal of Harry. Fem/harry, with just a bit more drive, and smarts.

Sept 01.

Perhaps it was the food or the excitement from the opening feast, but Harriet was tossing and turning in a restless sleep. She was dreaming about the same things she always dreamed on bad nights. There were dementors and large snakes. Sometimes it was a basilisk and sometimes it was a large brown python with diamond markings. There was a man skin being burned, with faces on the back of the head. There were werewolves and dark evil wisps. There was a green light and high laughter. There was a faceless grey-cloaked figure in a white room reaching out a long-fingered hand.

She shot up from the bed, breathing hard. Her infamous lightning scar on her chest was burning. She spent a second taking large gulps of air and tried to settle her erratic heart rate. When she had settled, she turned to see if she had woken her dorm mates.

The outlines of Parvati and Lavender were just visible in the dim moonlight from the window. They still rested peacefully under their covers. She turned then to one of her best friends, Hermione. They had been close friends since she and Ron had saved her from a troll in first year, and she had been an invaluable friend since.

Thankfully she had not woken Hermione, because invaluable or not, Hermione was prone to becoming very involved in Harriet's business.

She decided to splash her face with some water and therefore got out of bed, slipped on her slippers and quietly made her way to the toilet on the other side of the room. She eased the bathroom door closed behind her. Then she turned on the sink and cupped her hands under the flow of warm water. She brought her face down and her hands up and tried to scrub away the last vestige of the dreams. When she was finished, she dried her face and let her hands rest on the rim of the sink.

The torchlight was dim, and she could just see the details of her face in the weak light. Hermione insisted that she had gotten very pretty this year. Secretly Harriet agreed. Her face was losing some of its roundness and her cheekbones were becoming more noticeable. Her lips looked poutier and pinker, and her nose lost the cute button look to be replaced with a dainty straight nose. Her eyes were still overly large, but they were framed by nice long dark lashes that made the wicked green stand out nicely. She had always liked her eyes, as they made people relate her to her mother. Unfortunately, she also had her mother's skin tone. If there was anything that she would change it would be to get a little more sun in her skin. She was pale like porcelain; the one redeeming feature was that her skin was rather blemish free for a fourteen-year-old. She had really lucked out in the acne department, according to Lavender. Even her hair had become more tameable this year. Well, she had actually started to brush the long raven mass of waves into something resembling silkiness, so she figured that had made a difference. She always had it up in a ponytail or bun anyway, so it hadn't changed her overall look much. Harriet wasn't a vain girl, but she could see that she looked pretty and was secretly happy for the fact.

Now if only her body would get the memo that it was puberty time. She had always been rather petite, mostly due to a lack of proper nourishment growing up. But she really thought that maybe once puberty hit, she would gain a few inches and some curves. She had grown some this summer, but it had been very disheartening to come back from summer vacation and see that Hermione, Lavender and Parvati had grown much more. That wasn't even taking into account the Gryffindor boys sudden giraffe status. Suffice it to say, she was feeling dwarfed.

Making her diminutive status even worse was the fact that the girls had grown in other ways she had not. They were all now wearing bras. Harry was being generous in allowing herself to wear a cotton sports bra. She was flat as a board and had curves like a bean pole, i.e. none. She had even heard Parvati and Lavender whispering earlier about their period, and while it sounded like an absolutely horrible experience in general, it did make her question why she didn't have it and if there was something wrong with her. Hermione said she was being stupid and was just a late bloomer. Hermione was right of course, she was always right anyway, and it wasn't something to get worked up over, so she let it go. There was nothing she could do about it except eat regular Hogwarts meals.

There was one part of her body that she resented, and it was now standing out against her white skin red, inflamed and angry. The lightning shaped scar started just below her left collarbone and cut down to above her heart. The scar was a remnant of a terrible curse that he had cast upon her as a child. Everyone in the wizarding world knew it was there, but few had seen it. Her dorms mates had of course, and she had spent time with Ron in the summer wearing singlets. But Hogwarts uniforms and robes didn't exactly show off the chest unless you were one of the girls who liked to strut their stuff. Harriet didn't have stuff to strut. So, the wizarding world at large had never seen the infamous scar. Those closest to her knew that the scar had another function. It burned a warning whenever a dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort was near to her.

It had been hurting all summer and it had worried her to no end. She wasn't a stupid girl, she could read the signs. And the signs were all pointing into the darkness. She didn't want to worry her friends but perhaps she would send another letter to her godfather Sirius.

She was still standing at the sink and finally felt the wave of exhaustion she had been waiting for. After the adrenaline from her nightmare had subsided, she was finally drained and ready for a couple hours more sleep. She knew she was already going to be tired tomorrow and she would need all the energy she could get. With her luck, she would have double potions with Slytherin tomorrow morning.

She often did wonder if the universe thought of her like a mouse on a string, which it could bat around like some great cosmic cat. These morose thoughts were brought on by the timetable that had just been handed to her by the ever-strict Professor McGonagall. First period, double potions with the Slytherins. Just great. Perhaps she shouldn't have dropped divination with Hermione, because she seemed to have a knack for predicting terrible comings.

But the thought of Trelawny's bug eyes and the remembrance of last years prediction from the divination professor made she think that yes, she had done the right thing.

She had left that class with Hermione, choosing to instead focus on her other electives, care of magical creatures and Arithmancy. She always did care for Maths in primary school. And as spells got harder in her other classes, she was happy for a way to deconstruct them and it allowed her to get the spell down a bit faster. Just a bit mind, she wasn't Hermione, and really the key to magic was confidence and practice. Care of Magical creatures was fun with Hagrid, and he really did know his stuff, unlike other professors. Well, it wasn't entirely fair to say that Trelawny didn't know her stuff, she had made a true prediction to Harriet in the corridor on her last day of exams. It just upset Harriet to think that Trelawney's doom and gloom may have had some merit.

"Ugh, this is just horrible," Ron said from beside her, looking at his timetable as well. Her faithful friend echoed her sentiment exactly.

"I don't know what I did in a past life to deserve such treatment, but it must have been something pretty horrible," she added.

"You probably were a serial puppy tormenter. Next time try not to place your misfortunes from past lives upon us as well," Ron snorted.

"Stop being so melodramatic you two, it's just potions," Hermione added.

"Potions with Snape and Slytherins on Monday morning," Harriet corrected, like that proved her point. Hermione just gave her a no-nonsense look.

"It's not like this Triwizard Tournament, which is truly horrible! People have died you know!" Hermione added.

Dumbledore had announced last night that the Triwizard Tournament was to take place this year at Hogwarts. Three students, from three different schools, would take part in three death-defying tasks, for the honour of eternal glory… and a thousand galleons. The school was buzzing with the news, and already predictions were being flung about.

"Are you kidding Hermione! This is going to be the greatest thing ever! And I totally want to enter," Ron stared at Hermione in surprise. "You agree right Harry?"

Harriet had thought a bit about the Triwizard Tournament last night before bed. The idea of adventure was exciting, but in the kind of way, an adventure novel was exciting. Harriet had been on too many adventures herself and knew that the idea was better than living the event.

"I don't know Ron, I am kind of with Hermione on this one. It sounds like a bit more than I am would take on willingly. Eternal glory is great and all that, but I prefer my limbs where they are thanks. I am mostly disappointed that there is no Quidditch this year." Harriet added with a sigh.

Ron just looked at her gobsmacked. "So, you aren't going to try and enter?" he asked.

"Of course, she isn't! And neither are you. You have to be seventeen to compete." Hermione added with a smug look at Ron. Ron just groaned and Harriet shrugged.

"Honestly it would be nice to have a quiet uneventful year, where I get to watch other people go through the death-defying stunts," Harriet threw in with a laugh. Her propensity for trouble was well known. "Well, we better go up and get our books for potions if we don't want to be late."

They made it to the potions room with time to spare. And they made their way to stand over next to their fellow Gryffindors. The Slytherins were a little way down the hall in their own group. She was leaning against to wall listening, but not participating, in the conversation amongst the Gryffindor's about the Triwizard Tournament. Then Hermione lent over to whisper in her ear.

"Malfoy is glaring at you."

Sure enough, when she looked up Malfoy was staring at her rather frostily. He was surrounded by the Slytherins and Pansy looked like she was holding court as she was the only one talking. Probably handing out royal decrees that she expected everyone to follow, the bossy b—witch. No one was really listening and least of all Malfoy. She was upset to note that he had also sprouted this summer. This was going to make glaring at him all the much harder as she probably just reached his nose. She sent her best scowl regardless, but he just smirked back. She decided not to waste her time and turned back to Hermione.

"You don't think he's got some plan to sabotage our potion, do you?" she asked.

"Hmmm, well we will keep watch," Hermione said with her own scowl. Hermione her faithful potions partner would not let her down. Let Malfoy try to come between Hermione and an Outstanding.

Soon after the door to the lab creaked open and the ominous voice of Professor Snape called from inside, "enter."

They filed in with Hermione and Harriet at the back of the Gryffindor pack. The set their stuff on one of the benches in the middle on the Gryffindor side of the room. To their surprise, it was Malfoy that sat at the bench next to hers. It was strange because he usually sat at the back. She was beside him with the alley separating them. Hermione and Harriet shared a glance and then sent a glare to Malfoy.

"All right, Potter? I see you grew all of a centimetre this summer," Malfoy the smarmy bastard smirked.

Harriet ground her teeth, he did have a talent for finding her soft spots and then grinding salt into them.

"Why Malfoy thanks for noticing, tis an improvement if I say so myself. Of course, if you too eat your vegetables you can improve as well, might I recommend you focus on the face area, always room for development." She ground back sweetly.

Zabini beside Malfoy let out a snort, and Malfoy directed the glare he was levelling at her back towards his partner.

"Like your one to talk Potter," Pansy shrill voice broke in from behind and to the right, she was on the bench directly behind Malfoy. "You wouldn't know pretty if it hit you with a stick!"

"Is that how you learned Pansy? By getting hit with a stick? Well, now it all makes sense." Harriet smirked while indicating at Pansy face. Pansy turned red and the Gryffindor's who had caught the verbal back and forth choked down their laughter.

"What do you know Potter? I'm gorgeous inside and out," Pansy sassed back, still red in her pug face.

"Your colons on the inside too, and that's also full of shit!" Harriet snapped back.

The Gryffindors couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter, she even caught a couple Slytherins duck their heads, including Zabini and Malfoy.

"ENOUGH!" Snape's voice cut through the laughter. "Settle down now! I should have expected this Miss Potter, five minutes back and already disrupting the class. Five points from Gryffindor!" Snape called as he glared at her.

She lifted her chin and met his gaze, her righteous feelings straightening her backbone under his glare. She wouldn't be intimidated. She watched as under her stare his face went carefully blank for just one moment. Then he spun with his robes billowing and flicked his wand at the board. Instructions began to appear on the board.

"Let's see if you dunderheads did your summer homework properly. You should now know all about the brewing and uses of shrinking potions. Get to work, and hand your summer homework in as you come up to get your ingredients." Snape called.

"I'll set up," Hermione said to Harriet as she rummaged through her bag, all business despite mirth still in her eyes at Harriet's put-downs.

"Can you hand mine in too?" Hermione held out her homework for her to take.

She grabbed the parchment and her own and made her way to the front. She joined the queue and placed the essays down in front of a scowling Snape. She met his eye confidently. Her essay was good, she knew he wouldn't find fault. Despite Snape's verbal jibes at her intelligence, she was actually quite good at potions. And while she didn't write with Hermione's' perfectly paraphrased, respectably referenced, and excellently eloquent prose, she did her work and it showed.

Snape's glare followed her to the ingredient's cupboard. There were just a few ingredients needed for the potion that didn't come in a standard potions kit. Knarl quills, Jobbernowl feather, and Billywig juice. She grabbed the first two, then saw that the few vials left of Billywig juice were on the top shelf. She stretched up and onto her tiptoes to reach the top shelf, straining but only able to brush her fingertip against the glass. A pale hand reached past her and grabbed the vial, bringing it to her hand. She grasped it and turned to face who helped her. She found herself face to face and much too close to Malfoy.

She stepped back and narrowed her eyes. He only offered her a slightly cocky smirk.

"Thanks," she grumbled and moved past heading to her desk.

She may be avoiding the dangers of the Triwizard Tournament at all costs, but between Malfoy being weird, Pansy's attitude, Snape's malice and no Quidditch. It was going to be a long year.


	2. The Gray Man

It had been a couple month back at school and Harriet had already been busy. The teachers were trying to drown them in Homework, and Hermione was already nervous about OWLs next year. Hermione had also started campaigning for S.P.E.W, and unfortunately acronymed group for house elf liberation. Harriet herself had had her own side projects that she was trying to accomplish but was currently distracted by another problem that had come in the form of a letter from Sirius.

This is what Harriet was thinking about as she completely zoned out in history of magic. Her body was in the classroom, and she was absently sketching to make it seem like she was taking notes, but mind, however, was on the last letter from her Godfather. Despite her reassurances that everything was handled, her Godfather was back in England.

A big problem considered his escaped convict status. He was wanted for murders he had never committed and was accused of betraying her parents, whom he would have sacrificed his life for. He was, however, innocent of all crimes. It was a man named Peter Pettigrew, who was really responsible. It raked at her nerves to think of Peter Pettigrew. She had shown him mercy and he had escaped. Her Godfather had lost his chance to be free and she had screwed it up. And now after complaining about her scar, he was back in England.

Well, it wasn't just her scar. He said he was reading the signs. She was doing it as well. First, there was the attack at the Quidditch world cup. She had been there personally to witness the madness and the Death Eaters disgusting muggle torturing. Then there were people missing. He couldn't remember the name of the women, but she did remember that Ludo Bagman had said she had gone off by herself. She remembered that Arthur Weasley had not been so sure, and now she was officially missing. Then there was that prophecy from Trelawney.

Both Ron and Hermione brushed this off, but she had been there, and she knew it was real. Dumbledore had also said so. It had said explicitly that the servant would join his master. She didn't know how she knew, but she suspected that Pettigrew had found Voldemort. The dark shadow that was left of him, at least. Maybe Peter was another Professor Quirrell, she tried to imagine the ugly, fat, rat man with Voldemort snake face on the back of his head and decided that some images are best left unimagined. And finally, there was her scar, her built-in warning system. She didn't think that Voldemort was close by, but she suspected that it was warning her that he was getting stronger.

A couple weekends ago she had taken a day just to sit and contemplate all the information that she had compiled. Sirius' letter had confirmed that something was afoot, and she wanted to stay on top of it. Hermione and Ron had been worried when she had spent the whole of a Saturday ignoring homework and sitting in front of the fire with a piece of paper and a quill. After the fiasco with Pettigrew, she had promised herself that she was going to be smarter. She needed her wits about her because after contemplating for a while she had decided that Voldemort was trying to rise again. And now with Pettigrew with him, as she suspected, he had the means.

She had also decided that she didn't know how to stop it from happening. He was probably going to use dark magic and she doubted that they had a book on resurrection in the Hogwarts library, even in the restricted section. Some things were too dark.

She also concluded that he would come for her. She had faced him three times before, and he would want revenge. She also didn't really understand how, but she had a connection to him. However, she also had protection from him in her mothers' blood due to her sacrifice. She had an idea of what was coming but she didn't know when or how.

Then she had to decide what to do with this information. The answer came in the form of Professor Moody, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor.

Professor Moody was a seasoned Auror and showed it. From his missing eye and leg to the multitude of scars crossing his face. The man had seen things. He constantly shouted about 'constant vigilance.'

He had also said in one of his lectures, that the way to prepare for an enemy was to have a wide and diverse spell range, more skills than 'shouting words while standing still', and always have a trick up your sleeve. She had thrown herself into defence books in a way that had even surprised Hermione, it was now not uncommon for her to be reading in her spare time, much to Ron abhor. She still wasn't sure if she trusted Professor Moody, but his advice was sound.

He did teach some interesting topics. There first ever lesson was on the Unforgivables. She had been concerned at the time and seeing the green light from the Avada Kedavra had shocked her, but she found herself immensely grateful for the lesson in the end. She could throw off Moody's imperious and was quite good at doing so in the end. She hoped to never be controlled in such a way.

Hermione was on the ropes. She was still a little upset at Moody for prioritising spell work without theory.

Ron thought he was brilliant, but that was most likely due to what was now infamously being called the 'Bouncing Ferret' incident.

It was early in the year and she and Ron had been goofing off in the corridor, he had taken her scarf and was holding it out of reach and teasing her. Malfoy had interrupted them and started taking jabs at Ron's mum. Specifically about an article on Professor Moody and Mr Weasley. Malfoy had been especially antagonistic to Ron this year for no apparent reason. It really annoyed her, but he usually just backed off when she got involved.

This time had been different. Harriet who had been staying with Ron almost all summer and adored Ron's mum and dad. She had gotten righteously angry at Malfoy, called him a bigoted brat and grabbed Ron around by the hand to turn him away. Malfoy must of snapped because he fired a hex at Ron when his back was turned and by the time they had spun around ready to return fire, where Malfoy had been was now a pure white ferret. Madeye Moody had bounced him around until McGonagall had come and reminded Moody that transfiguration was not an acceptable punishment.

Ron didn't stop grinning the entire day and even now a month later he would sometimes break into giggles. Harriet herself had thought it had been a bit harsh. She could appreciate the irony, but she also felt herself be the smidges' bit sorry for Malfoy. He had been so embarrassed and dishevelled as he had looked up at her, his entire face a furious pink.

Despite her promise to practice constant vigilance, she still jumped when Ron poked her shoulder, to bring her back to the present. She looked around and realised that everyone was waking up and packing their things. Hermione was beside her rolling her eyes in exasperation at Harriet when suddenly she froze.

"Harry, what's that?" Hermione asked quietly. Ron had also stopped sensing Hermione's unease.

"Huh… what's what?" Harriet asked unintelligently.

"That," Hermione pointed down at the parchment that Harriet had been sketching on.

Looking down, Harriet found herself seeing for the first time what she had been drawing. She froze herself, but in recognition. It was a very realistic drawing, if she wasn't so surprised, she might have actually been impressed.

It was a drawing of a man, well kind of a man. It looked closer to a dementor but didn't have the hood. The 'man' was tall and stretched out, with a longer neck than humanly possible. It looked like the man had thrown a long grey sheet over himself. But that wasn't quite right because even in the drawing she could tell that the fabric, or whatever it was, was draped over him in a way that a regular sheet would never have been. It was like it clung to his body giving the skeletal form underneath a more defined shaped. Where the eyes would have been was just white holes but there were no other facial features. But the most disconcerting aspect of the picture was the arm that extended from the body. It came out of the 'man' at his midsection, nowhere near where a regular arm would have extended from. The arm was black and thin and the hand attached to it was likewise. The fingers on the hand had an extra joint and the nails were pointed. The arm seemed to be reaching off the page like it was trying to grab Harriet and she found herself slightly mesmerised by the creature.

"Harry!" Hermione's yell in her ear snapped her out of whatever trance she had been in. Ron and Hermione's concerned faces filled her vision. She blinked up at them then hesitantly looked back down to her drawing.

"I… I am not sure… I have dreamed about…this gray man before," Harry said in confusion.

"I didn't even know you could draw," said Ron looking uneasy.

"I can't." Harry said simply.

Hermione frowned and grabbed the picture. Then folded it and put it into her book bag.

"What are you going to do with that," said Harry frowning at Hermione.

"I am going to see if I can find a reference for it. I don't really understand it, but your dreams are affecting you, and they may not be just dreams." Hermione added with a frown.

She was referring to a discussion that had happened between the three of them. Harriet had sat both her and Ron down on the Sunday after her 'Great Contemplation'. She had told them about her reasoning and she general thought process and her conclusion that Voldemort was making a move and trying to rise again. Her evidence was the events at the Quidditch world cup, the missing ministry worker, her dreams, Trewlansy's prophecy and her scar.

At the end of a lengthy discussion on the topic, she knew that she had her friends worried. Partly for her sanity and partly for the future. But they weren't as concerned as she was about the entire thing. Despite that, she was strangely touched that Hermione was willing to look into her drawing. It showed that she believed Harriet about her dreams and would explore all avenues no matter how obscure and… divinationy they were.

"Right, thanks Hermione, I know this isn't really your cup of tea." She gave Hermione a grateful smile.

"I do find divination a load of dragon dung, but I get that we can't close any avenues," Hermione said with an eye roll.

"Still..." Said Harriet. "Right, shall we go drop our stuff? We have to be down in the entrance hall soon."

The contestants from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang arrived today. All students were expected to be down at the entrance hall to greet them and then there would be the feast to start the tournament. The staff at Hogwarts were in an absolute state. Harriet didn't remember a time when Hogwarts had been so clean. The detentions for anyone making a mess were extremely steep.

Harriet, Ron and Hermione were not willing to test McGonagall's wrath at them for being late, so they hustled to drop off their bags and make their way down to the entrance hall.

They weren't late but McGonagall did snap at Harriet to fix her hair. She realised that her ponytail was horribly uneven and had fallen to one side more than the other. She yanked out the tie and shook her hair. She noticed that Justin Finch-Fletchley was giving her an odd look from beside her. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he just turned back to the front with a light blush.

With her hair pulled back into a tidy high ponytail, she turned back to the front to wait with the rest of the curious students. The general whisper that made its way through the crowd was, _how would they arrive?_

 _The didn't have to wait long. Dumbledore called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers -_

 _"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbaton's approaches!"_

 _"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions._

 _"There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest._

 _Something large was hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time._

 _"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely._

 _"Don't be stupid...it's a flying house!" said Dennis Creevey._

 _Dennis's guess was closer, as the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant._

 _The front three rows of students drew backwards as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at a tremendous speed - then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backwards onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes._

 _It can to a halt on the great lawn and from the carriage spilled forth twelve smartly dressed teens. They all looked very impressive, as they stood tall and held their noses slightly in the air. They also moved in synchronization as they turned and bowed before the door to the carriage. From the carriage stepped forth the largest women that Harriet had ever seen. She would have guessed that she was even taller than Hagrid._

 _"Dumbleydore!" the woman called and extended her hand to the Headmaster with a beatific smile._

 _"Madam Maxine, you look as lovely as ever." Dumbledore bowed over the hand and kissed the back._

 _"Karkaroff 'as not arrived?" The women asked again in here distinctly French accent._

 _"Not as of yet, would you like to wait with us or go inside to warm up?" Dumbledore asked. Madam Maxine looked back at her students who despite their professional state, were starting to shiver. Their fine silk robes were not doing much against the wind._

 _"Warm up, I zink," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses -"_

 _"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them," said Dumbledore, "the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other - er - charges."_

 _"Skrewts," Ron muttered to Harriet, grinning._

 _"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," said Madame Maxime, looking as though she doubted whether any Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts could be up to the job. "Zey are very strong..."_

 _"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," said Dumbledore, smiling._

 _"Very well," said Madame Maxime, bowing slightly. "Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt whiskey?"_

 _"It will be attended to," said Dumbledore, also bowing._

 _"Come," said Madame Maxime imperiously to her students, and the Hogwarts crowd parted to allow her and her students to pass up the stone steps._

 _They were now waiting for the Durmstrang party to arrive. Most people were gazing hopefully up at the sky, and the crowd was quiet_

 _"Can you hear something?" said Ron suddenly._

 _Harriet listened; a loud and oddly eerie noise was drifting toward them from out of the darkness: a muffled rumbling and sucking sound, as though an immense vacuum cleaner were moving along a riverbed..._

 _"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"_

 _From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they could see the lake and that some disturbance was taking place in the middle; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks. Then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor..._

 _What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool...and then Harry saw the rigging..._

 _"It's a mast!" she said to Ron and Hermione._

 _Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank._

 _People were disembarking; they could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Harriet noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle...but then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, she saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair._

 _"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"_

 _"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied. Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice; when he stepped into the light pouring from the front doors of the castle, they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (finishing in a small curl) did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own._

 _"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling; his teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good...Viktor, come along, into the warmth...you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."_

 _Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Harry caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave him, or the hiss in his ear, to recognize that profile._

 _"Harry - it's Krum!"_ (1)

(1(1) Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling


	3. The Videus Charm

Previously.

 _Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Harry caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave him, or the hiss in his ear, to recognize that profile._

 _"Harry - it's Krum!"_

And indeed it was Krum who had walked by her. Harriet had seen the impressive seeker in person at the Quidditch world cup, whilst they had been up in the top box. Krum was looking as gloomy as he had then and walked forward without meeting any other students' eye. The Hogwarts students all craned their neck to get a glimpse of the Quidditch star. Harriet herself was on her toes and cursing whatever it was that caused her not to grow.

The Hogwarts student filed into the Entrance Hall and the Great Hall doors were thrown open to begin the feast. Most of the Hogwarts student piled in first, knowing where they were meant to go, but the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students stood in the doorway unsure.

"Come on, come on, come sit over here!" Ron was whispering fervently under his breath while looking at Krum. But in total opposition to Ron's silent pleas, Krum led the Durmstrang boys (all of them were boys), over to the Slytherins table at the opposite end of the hall. Harriet could see Malfoy looking extremely smug as Krum sat down beside him.

The Beauxbaton students made a choice as well, probably based on colour. The sat with the Ravenclaws who looked with interest at their new table companions.

"Damn it!" Ron cursed under his breath. "I wanted to get an autograph, but I don't have a single quill on me!"

"Really now, he's just a quidditch player." Hermione scolded.

"Blasphemy Hermione!" Ron said aghast, "he is one of the greatest seekers in the world."

Harriet smiled, while she appreciated Ron's enthusiasm, she had been on the end of her own hero worship and was less likely to fawn. At least he was famous for something he had done himself. She was more distracted by Flitwick who was placing two chairs both to the right and left of Dumbledore's high back chair.

"Two chairs for the headmasters, but I wonder who the extra two chairs are for?" Harriet added.

The great hall was finally full, and Dumbledore, Karkaroff and Madam Maxine all came striding into the room. The Beauxbaton students all jumped to their feet, and while some Hogwarts students snickered, the Beauxbaton students looked very unembarrassed and didn't sit until Madam Maxine sat.

Only Dumbledore remained standing.

"Welcome, welcome, to each and every one of you and especially to our distinguished guests! Hogwarts is very pleased to host you during this exciting time and we hope your stay will be comfortable." Dumbledore's voice rang out across the hall. Harriet could see his eyes twinkling from the here.

"The tournament will be officially opened soon, but first we must be fed and watered. Enjoy the feast!" With that, he swept his arm and food magically appeared on the tables. The food was extravagant, and Harriet had never seen such a lush assortment of choices. The house elves had really outdone themselves. Hermione gave a little sigh at the food, probably thinking about SPEW and the house elves, but she still dug into one of the more exotic looking dishes.

"Ugh is that edible?" Ron asked, looking at what Hermione was serving herself.

"It's Bouillabaisse Ron," Hermione said.

"Nope. Definitely not edible with a name like that." Ron added.

"It's French Ron," Hermione's rolled her eyes at him. "It's very nice."

Ron grimaced and stayed with the classic English dishes. Harriet shrugged her shoulders and decided to brave it. She spooned a helping and tried the soup. It was delicious.

"Excuse moi, are you finished wit ze Bouillabaisse?" Called a voice from behind Ron and Harriet.

They both turned back to see an extremely beautiful girl. She was statuesque and had a long, perfect sheet of blond hair. Her eyes were a stunning sapphire.

"Oh sure," Harriet said politely with a small smile. But she didn't get much farther as the ladle, which she had still been holding during the tentative sip of her soup, was snatched out of her hand by Ron. Ron barely blinked or looked away from the girl as he offered the dish to her, all the while turning a deep red colour.

"Zank you," she said with an air of indifference about her, taking the dish back over to the Ravenclaw table.

Ron sighed rested his face in his hand and put his elbow into his mashed potatoes, in a move very reminiscent of Harriet meeting Ginny for the first time. Harriet looked on amused at Ron, but Hermione was looking very annoyed.

"Really Ron!" Hermione hissed.

"Oh man, did you see her! She's a veela Harry!" Ron said hoarsely while still looking over at the extremely pretty girl.

"Of course, she isn't" Hermione ground out.

"Man - they don't make them like that at Hogwarts!" Ron said still staring at the girl walking away. He seemed to have forgotten that he was talking to two of the girls made at Hogwarts. Before Hermione could begin the verbal put-down to end all put-downs, Harriet calmly but firmly smacked Ron in the back of the head. That was enough. Harriet was again distracted by two new arrivals to the staff table.

Ludo Bagman was in the same too tightly fitted Wimbledon Wasps uniform that she had seen at the Quidditch world cup. He was positively bouncing with energy and was seated between McGonagall and Karkaroff. He seemed unable to grasp the slightly reluctant disposition of Professor McGonagall as he prattled to her. Karkaroff had engaged Dumbledore in conversation to his left and to his right Madam Maxine was in a conversation with Barty Crouch.

"Did they organize the tournament?" Harriet asked no one in particular.

"Must have," Hermione answered looking to the high table. "Remember that Bagman dropped some hints when he came to visit us at our tent at the cup."

"True," Ron echoed.

It wasn't long before the students were full, and the food cleared away. With the clearance of the food, the atmosphere in the great hall became palpable, and the hall descended completely into silence as Dumbledore again stood.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time for us to officially begin the tournament. Now I would like to introduce two people who have been instrumental in organizing this event. Please put your hands together for Bartimus Crouch, head of International Magic Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Magic," there was a second for polite applause, where Crouch stood very stiffly. "And the head of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman." The applause was louder this time and Bagman jumped up and bowed, smiling all the while.

"Now we will be hearing some words from our organizers," Dumbledore said while sitting down again.

Ludo Bagman stood.

"Good evening everyone! We are very excited to be here with you this fine evening and to have organized this exciting tournament for you. Now everyone if I can have your undivided attention, I will explain how the tournament will proceed. After the champions have been chosen, they will go through three tasks throughout the school year. Points are given for the first two tasks from the judges, and the better the points the more advantages you will have when going into the final task. The judging panel will consist of your excellent Headmasters along with Barty and I." Ludo explained happily. Mr Crouch did not look pleased with being called Barty so unofficially.

"We also have an additional twist this year. The Vidues charm, which was created recently for the world cup by a request from my own department, will be used throughout this tournament. The Vidues charm, for those who are unaware, is a little idea of mine that was inspired by muggles of all things! They watch something called a _tealvision_ and this charm was inspired by their invention." He explained incorrectly. She saw Hermione physically restrain herself from correcting Mr Bagman.

"The charm will be placed on the champions while they are going through the tasks. It will allow those at home to see the competitors action and reactions during the task and wizarding Europe can experience everything that the Champions will experience, without the chance of injury." Again, another laugh at a bad joke.

"The charm will go out of its way to get the greatest action shot possible, so watching the events will be terribly exciting. It was used first during the Quidditch World Cup this summer to outstanding success and now will be used during the Triwizard Tournament. All of Europe will now be cheering on their Champions."

Harriet blanched at the thought. She knew that she would hate such a thing, to know that she would be watched by thousands. Others were whispering excitedly at the thought of being at the centre of such attention.

"Yes, I know that it is terribly exciting. Now in just a moment, I will bring forward the chooser of Champions, but before that, I would like to remind everyone that this competition is only open to those who are of age. Headmaster Dumbledore himself will be ensuring this. I will also remind those that are thinking of competing that this is a magically binding contract. Those that do get called will have to compete or suffer a loss of magic. But I will also tell everyone that we have gone to great lengths to ensure safety, so you almost definitely won't have to suffer horrible, maiming consequences." Bagman said again cheerfully. _Almost definitely?_ Harriet thought.

"Without further ado, I will ask Mr Filch to bring forward the casket." Bagman waved his arm at Filch who was in the corner. Filch started to drag forward an old, heavy looking casket. The students craned their necks to get a good look at the box. It was placed in front of the staff table directly in front of Dumbledore's chair.

Dumbledore rose again and Bagman instantly sat back down in the presence of the great wizard rising. Dumbledore waved his wand and the lid creaked open. From the depths of the casket rose a very old, roughly hewn wooden cup. If it hadn't had dancing blue flames spouting from the top, it would have been unremarkable. The lid of the casket closed, and the cup was levitated on top it and placed gently. Then Dumbledore did a complex motion with his wand and a silver-white mist flowed from the tip. The river of mist created a circle with a five-foot radius around the cup.

"For those who wish to place their name in the cup, they must write their name and school upon a piece of parchment and place it in the cup. Solid objects without a host will not get through." Dumbledore spoke. To emphasize his point, he conjured a piece of paper that elegantly folded itself into a dove and flew at the cup. It hit some invisible barrier and bounced back onto the floor then disappeared.

"The cup will reject any name written on the paper if it is not your own," Dumbledore continued eyes twinkling as he dashed the hopes of a few people in the crowd. Most notably the Weasley twins. "And this age line will keep anyone under the age of seventeen from entering."

"Now off you trot, its time for bed. The cup will be here tomorrow, and the names will be pulled at the end of tomorrow's feast."

Everyone stood up as one, so it took a while for the three of them to make it to the doors of the Great Hall. The crowd was abuzz with speculation and the introduction of the Vidues charm.

When they finally did, Harriet noticed that the Durmstrang boys, led by their headmaster, were about to make their way through as well.

Harriet politely stopped beside the door to let them pass. Karkaroff cast a brief glance and nod continuing his stride. But suddenly his eyes flew back over to Harriet. Her scar was her most notable feature, but it was usually hidden, so only some people who could recognize her on sight. It seemed that Karkaroff was one of them.

His abrupt stop had the bottlenecked the door and now the rest of the Durmstrang boys were staring at Harriet as well. It was an awkward moment. Madam Maxine cut through to stand by Karkaroff.

"What iz ze matter, Karkaroff you are blocking the path." She stated in her regal French voice, casting a glance over at Harriet.

"Yes Karkaroff, do you have a problem with Potter?" Came the grumble from Moody. His magical eye and regular eye both fixed on Karkaroff's movements.

As her identity became known she saw the Durmstrang boys and the French students both light up in recognition. They were all now staring at her speculatively. Even Krum was now eyeing her with interest. She felt herself flush, hot under the collar.

Karkaroff finally stopped staring and cast his hate-filled gaze at Moody.

"Come!" he barked at his students and they finally cleared the doorway.

When they had finally made it to the entrance hall, Moody came stomping over to them.

"You watch yourself Potter, there are many characters around now, and you never know what anyone is up to," He said with his magical eye swivelling to the back of his head. "Constant vigilance!"

"Yes sir," she said dutifully.

That night she dreamed that she was competing in the tournament but had forgotten her pants. All of Europe was now watching her dance around in her snitch patterned underwear, as she tried to do the tasks. Needless to say, it was a restless night.


	4. The Champions

Both Harriet and Hermione woke early, and they were surprised to find Ron and Neville up and waiting for them in the common room. Ron was usually more of a late sleeper, but even he couldn't ignore the excitement from the night before. They made their way down to breakfast and were just in time to watch some of the Beauxbaton students put their name into the cup. They were followed shortly by the Durmstrang students led by Karkaroff and Krum. Krum led the procession of boys up to the cup and dropped in his name. The crowd clapped and Krum surprisingly shot a glance their way.

Harriet felt an arm rest along her shoulders and looked over to see the grinning face of one of the twins. It was George as from this angle she could see a small mole on his left ear. Fred had his arm draped around Hermione on the other side of the table.

"Hullo you lot, tis a fine day is it not?" said George.

"Yes, positively swell! isn't it Fred?" asked Fred.

"You're Fred," Harriet stated while pointing at the twin across from her. "And what are you two up to this morning," she asked raising an amused eyebrow.

"Us? Up to something?" Cried George in faux outrage.

"Harriet darling, you accuse us so shamelessly!" Fred cried.

She had noticed that the twins were being a bit more secretive this past month. While they were usually the life of the party, they had become more became recluse during certain times.

"Then she is doing the right thing," quipped Ron from her other side.

"Ronnikins, ye of little faith. If you must know we are about to enter the tournament." George grinned from beside her.

"Oh, and how do you plan to get past the age line?" Hermione asked with a heavy dollop of scepticism.

"Why Hermione I am so glad you asked?" Fred said.

"Indeed, we have brewed this little potion right here!" George continued.

"a few drops of this ageing potion—"

"- and we will be home free."

"It's not going to work," Hermione smirked. "Dumbledore created that age line himself. There is no way your getting by it."

"Again, such little faith, oh brother mine!" Fred cried.

"Yes, they are certainly full of doubt!" George echoed.

"Well, shall we—"

"- prove them wrong?"

The stood up then with cocky grins in place. Harriet just smiled and wished them luck, already looking forward to the spectacle.

They made a ruckus as they ran up to the cup while high fiving the Gryffindors. Most of the hall was grinning and cheering and the twins were encouraging it by waving their arms and getting the crowd involved. Finally, they got to the front and took out their vials again.

"Bottoms up!" They called and tipped the contents back into their mouths. They waited a few seconds before linking arms and stepping through the line. For a moment, there was nothing and Harriet fleetingly thought that they would make it. Then there was a loud bang and both the twins were thrown backwards and landed hard on their ass. When they finally made it to a standing position, they were both sprouting rather spectacular white beards. They rivalled Dumbledore's in their remarkable length, and the entire hall burst into laughter.

"Well now, that is an impressive look if I do say so myself," called Dumbledore from where he had just entered the hall. He was grinning in an amused way. "Although, I am afraid I will become terribly jealous if you tried to steal my look, head along to Madam Pomfrey to get them removed. She has already had to remove a couple today."

The twins grinned and saluted Dumbledore as they went to follow his orders. _Terribly jealous_ _indeed,_ Harriet thought as the twins left. She doubted that anyone could steal Dumbledore's look even if they wanted too.

Breakfast continued, and suddenly there was a cheer from the Hufflepuff table. Cedric Diggory had entered the hall, smiled bashfully and made his way to the front. Harriet felt herself blush as she watched the tall seeker make his way forward. She had had a bit of a crush on him since third year when she had met him for the first time following the disastrous dementor game. He had been an incredibly good sport and tried to call the catch off, but he had won fair and square.

He passed by her and caught her eye. He shot a grin but kept moving forward. She felt her insides turn to mush and her heart felt twitchy, but she did everything to seem casual and composed. It must have worked because both Ron and Hermione weren't looking at her weirdly.

"Ugh, I really hope our champion isn't a puff." Said Ron rudely from beside her.

"Cedric is a good candidate, he has very good marks and is a prefect." Hermione argued logically.

"You're just saying that cause he's handsome," Ron said narrowing his eyes at her. Hermione just scoffed. She was about to answer but was halted when the Gryffindor table let out a cheer around them. Strolling down the centre aisle was Angela Johnson. She was smiling and had a confident gait all the way up to the cup. As she dropped her name in, Gryffindor let out another cheer.

"I agree with Hermione about Cedric, but it would be really great to have Angela as the Champion," Harriet said smiling. Hermione and Ron just nodded while clapping along with the rest.

The rest of the day passed slowly. It was a Saturday, so they had no classes to pass the time until the feast and they were forced to do some of their homework. Well, Hermione forced the reluctant Ron and Harriet. The whole school was in a state of anticipation and it somehow made the clocks move slower. Harriet and Ron did have fun when she helped him with his divination homework. They were filling in his planet chart and making completely bogus predictions. Poor Ron was going to have a horrible month ahead of him according to the positions of Uranus and Pluto.

Finally, it was time for the feast. The Great hall had been decorated for Halloween. The decorations seemed even more impressive than previous years, as Hogwarts wanted to impress. The giant pumpkins with their carved faces would yell "boo!" to anyone walking by. Live bats flew through the air and black and orange candles floated all over the Halls. Shadowed shapes of cats and ghosts danced between patches of light along the walls.

The great hall itself was decorated in great silk streamers of orange and black, and smaller carved pumpkins floated in the air going around and eating the many candles floating above. They would light up and flash their spooky faces then let the candle go and try to eat another one.

The tension mounted throughout the entire feast. Attention was not held by the food as it normally would have been. It seemed that two feasts in a row were a bit too much. All the staff were in attendance along with the ministry officials. Everyone was casting looks to Dumbledore throughout the meal. Dumbledore for his part ate sedately and made conversation with Madam Maxine who was also finished and eyeing Dumbledore's plate.

Finally, Dumbledore cast an eye around the room and swept his arm. The platters that had been on the table disappeared and he stood up and began to walk around the staff table to where the cup sat on its casket pedestal. The silence was instantaneous, and Harriet felt the excitement swirling in her stomach.

"Now it is time to choose the champions. I believe that the cup is almost ready." Dumbledore stated as he had come to rest beside the cup.

It took a minute, a minute of intense anticipation from the entire hall. Finally, the fire in the cup turned red and a second later it spouted a plume of flames. From the fire emerged a single piece of paper. It fluttered down into Dumbledore's hand and he took a moment to unfold it.

"The Champion from Beauxbaton is… Fleur Delacour!" Dumbledore called. The Hogwarts student clapped and whistled as the beautiful blond from before stood up from the Ravenclaw table.

"Oh, the rest don't look happy," Hermione whispered in her ear. And it was true the rest of the Beauxbaton students looked extremely disappointed. Some were even crying. As Fleur made her way forward, Dumbledore shook her hand and directed her to a side door at the end of the staff table.

When Fleur had disappeared, everyone had settled down and were whispering to each other. The whispering ceased however when the flames again turned red.

Again, a piece of paper floated down through the air and Dumbledore caught it easily.

"The Champion from Durmstrang… Victor Krum!" Dumbledore called.

The hall was deafening as they cheered for the Quidditch star. He made his duck footed way to the front of the hall, looking slightly less gloomy than normal. He too disappeared after shaking Dumbledore's hand.

There was another moment of silence as everyone waited for the final champion. Harriet was secretly hoping that it would be Cedric.

Finally, the fire spouted again, and the piece of paper floated down.

"And the Champion of Hogwarts will be … Cedric Diggory!" Hufflepuff and many others had risen to their feet, shouting loudly and cheering for Cedric. Cedric himself was glowing as he received pats on the back and congratulations. He made his way to the front with a deafening cheer. Professor Sprout, Harriet noticed, looked positively beside herself with happiness.

Cedric soon disappeared into the door and the hall calmed down to listen to Dumbledore again.

"Yes, excellent, excellent. Now that we have our Champions, they will be-" Professor Dumbledore trailed off because he, like many others in the hall, noticed that the cup had turned red again. Whispers started and everyone watched in shock as the cup spat out another piece of paper. Madam Maxine, Karkaroff and Bartimus Crouch had risen to a standing position as Dumbledore caught the paper with a tight frown on his face. Very slowly he unfolded the paper and looked down at it with his frown deepening. The entire hall was silent again.

"Harriet Potter." Dumbledore said while looking up and meeting her eyes.

There were no cheers. All the excitement that Harriet had felt was swept away and replaced with a thick sense of shock and foreboding. The hall had turned to look at her and she felt the weight of all their stares. She turned to Hermione and Ron.

Ron had a strange look on his face. He was pale and weirdly expressionless. Hermione just looked panicked. Harriet slowly shook her head at them. "I didn't…" she whispered.

"Harriet!" Dumbledore commanding tone called from the front. Her gaze was swept back up to the front, and Dumbledore's heavy stare. She felt Hermione grab her arm and haul her up. When she didn't move forward, she also felt Hermione nudge her. She stumbled and somehow managed to keep her feet under her.

The feeling of walking up to the front was how she imagined a lamb for laughter felt like. She felt incredibly numb as she walked past Dumbledore who did not offer to shake her hand. McGonagall's face was white, and Snape looked apoplectic. Strangely, Ludo Bagman was looking shocked but intrigued.

As she fumbled with the latch of the door she heard the whispers like a hiss begin to rise from behind her. She made her way inside and closed the door on the angry sound. She walked down a short hallway that led to a circular room with some comfy couches and a roaring fireplace. The other champions were standing around chatting. Or at least, Fleur and Cedric were. Krum wasn't exactly participating. They turned to look at her as she entered, and Harriet was struck by how tall and strong they all looked. She had never felt shorter or weaker in her life and the feeling churned her stomach. Of all the things to be thinking she focused rather desperately on how much she wished she hadn't eaten that second treacle tart.

"Harriet?" Cedric asked, and the churning sensation worsened.

"Well, did zey ask you to come git us?" Fleur asked flipping her hair and looking down her nose.

She opened her mouth to answer, but then the door behind them banged open.

"This is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant I tell you!" Ludo Bagman called, as he strode forward and grabbed her with one arm around the shoulder. She was pressed rather uncomfortably to his side.

"May I present the fourth Champion!" he said while indicating her. The others were now looking at her in surprise.

"But no! dis is preposterous!" Madam Maxine had called from behind. Harriet noticed that she was strolling in with a furious Karkaroff following behind her. Dumbledore was just ahead of them and Crouch, Snape, McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and Moody followed in behind.

"What iz ze meaning of this Dumblydore?" Madam Maxine called while placing a hand on Fleur's shoulder.

"I vould also like to know vat is happening?" steamed Karkaroff standing beside Krum. "Ve vere promised that dis vould be a fair competition."

Everyone seemed to be trying to talk at once and Harriet managed to extract herself from Mr Bagman. "Zees little girl iz going to compete?" Fleur asked. "Professor Sprout, what is going on?" Cedric asked. "Oh, this will be an interesting competition," from the happy bagman. "You can't be serious?" McGonagall's indignant voice called. "Potter cannot be rewarded for such blatant disrespect of the rules," called Snape.

Dumbledore held up his hand and the room quieted.

"Madam Maxine, Professor Karkaroff, I assure you that this is a surprise for us all," Dumbledore said softly, but his voice still seemed to still the room.

"Harriet," Dumbledore spoke now directly to her, very solemnly. "Did you put your name in the cup? Did you ask someone older to put your name in for you?"

The disappointment in his voice made her throat clog. "N-no," she said quietly, fighting the welling of emotions and thoughts.

"But of course, she iz lying!" Maxine spoke strongly, dwarfing Harriet's choked voice. "You promised us zat zee age line would keep out ze younger students, Dumblydore."

"I suppose there is a possibility that it was the age line." Dumbledore conceded.

"That is nonsense and you know it Dumbledore. That age line was perfect, and we all saw you do it." McGonagall intervened, glaring slightly at the much taller woman.

"Well, zis iz most unjust, 'Ogwarts cannot have two champions." Madame Maxine continued.

"I'm afraid that the contract is binding Madam Maxine, Harriet is obligated to compete, or she forfeits her magic." Bagman placated happily.

"Then I demand that ve draw another champion as vell." Karkaroff called from the corner.

"I am afraid that it does not work that way, Karkaroff." Mr Crouch spoke, he was grave, and Harriet noticed he looked a bit sickly. "The Goblet is unlit and will be so until a there is a winner. This is not a good situation, but I believe that Miss Potter must compete."

"So 'Ogwarts has an even greater chance of winning," Maxine scoffed angrily.

"And Potter has a greater chance of being killed." Moody's voice silenced the room with that uncomfortable statement. Everyone turned to look at the old Auror. "Potter was called out of the cup, and it would have taken a very powerful confundus charm to trick the cup into pulling two Hogwarts names. Not only that, but some dark magic for the cup to take a name not dropped by the bearer of that name. Someone wants her to compete, but I am not sure they want her to make it through the tournament in one piece."

The silence was heavy and only broken by the fires crackle.

Bagman then let out a nervous chuckle. "Come now, Moody, what a thing to say. I am sure no one wishes harm on Ms Potter."

"I can think of one or two people," Moody said quietly, his magical eye swivelling to Karkaroff for some reason.

"Alastor." Dumbledore's firm voice spoke in reprimand.

"Dumbledore, surely there is a way, she is much too young," McGonagall said quietly from beside Dumbledore.

There was a beat where Dumbledore seemed to take a deep breath through his nose, and everyone hung on his words. "I am afraid, that Harriet does not have a choice. She must compete."

To Harriet, that sentence was like the bang of a gavel, or more likely a nail in a coffin. The emotions and thoughts that she had been trying to stop from overtaking her mind could no longer be held back. All she could hear was blood in her ears and her eyes lost focus.

Vaguely she recognized that Bagman had pulled her forward into the centre of the room was now explaining some information to all the champions. It wasn't registered though, as Moody's conjecture seemed like a much more important point to focus on.

Okay so maybe someone was trying to kill her. Nothing new there. In fact, it always led back to Voldemort even if didn't make sense at the time. Like in second year with Riddles memories being the one to open the Chamber of Secrets. Her name being pulled from the cup was in line with the information that she already had and was just another event to add to the list of strange goings-on. Voldemort hadn't risen yet, so he wasn't strong enough to come after her himself. Maybe he sent someone to put her name in an extremely dangerous tournament and hoped she kicked the bucket.

It was surprisingly impersonal and did not fit in well with what she had experienced with the egotistical madman. But then again, he was an egotistical madman, so maybe a fourteen-year-old girl was not worth his time. This seemed like an easy way to off her while he rose to power. It also brought up the fact that there was someone in the castle that may be working for Voldemort or had worked for him in the past. The only servant she was sure of was Peter Pettigrew. Was he in the castle now? Had he snuck in like Sirius had last year? Snuck in like the rat he is? Or was there another player?

All of it seemed likely, and the more she went over it the more she realised she was missing a lot of information. She was working herself into a panic attack when her shoulder was grabbed and she was being directed out of the room. She looked up to see that Snape had the tight clamp on her shoulder and that almost everyone had left the room. McGonagall was the only one to follow them and she looked extremely worried.

When they had exited the room, Snape pushed her forward surprisingly gentle. She looked back at her two teachers and they both wore frowns.

"To bed Miss Potter," Snape stated firmly. McGonagall shot him a glare and stepped in front of her.

"Miss Potter are you alright?" she asked, gentler than Harriet had ever heard. Harriet had to take a minute to answer the question.

"I don't think so…" she answered truthfully. If anything, that made McGonagall worried frown deepen. Snape was also looking at her but with a stony mask in place. There was really nothing they could do though. So, she mumbled something about going to bed and turned on her heel.

At the entrance hall, she was surprised to see Cedric standing there, apparently waiting for her. She didn't know if she could handle what he would say to her.

"Well, that was something huh?" Cedric said softly.

"Mmmhmm" was really all she could manage.

"How did you do it?" he asked. He didn't look mad, but curious instead. Still, he didn't believe her and was asking how she had done it.

"I didn't put my name in." She managed to choke out. She could tell by his face that he didn't believe her. It was upsetting that he was even asking her, even if it was a silly crush.

He was one of those boys who were out of reach for her, he was older, handsome, prefect, great seeker, and very nice in general. It was easy for her to allow herself to have a crush on him even if nothing came of it. But it still hurt to hear him doubt her. If he was doubting her, then the majority of the school was going to think she was a cheat.

"Right…well guess we better get to bed. I'll uh… see you later." He said while scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He turned and made his way in the opposite direction of the Gryffindor tower, and she just watched him go after that awkward goodbye.

She very mechanically made her way up to the tower. The paintings were whispering beside her and were watching her as she trudged up the stairs. She was almost at the common room when she was stopped by the sight of Ron sitting on one of the steps.

"Ron," she breathed out. He looked up from where he had been slumped. A weird look on his face.

"Oh hello," He said. She walked up and stopped in front of him, wanting to tell him everything, wanting his opinion, but her thoughts were then interrupted.

"So… congratulations." He continued. She gave him a stunned look.

"What do you mean congratulations?" She asked.

Ron shrugged, "you got past the age line. They are letting you compete, right?"

"Yeah they are _forcing_ me to compete, but I didn't get past the line Ron," she stated in with a huff, her annoyance brewing at no one believing her.

"Oh, really? What did you do then, get someone to drop your name in?" He asked.

"What! No, Ron, I didn't do that." She said shocked. "Listen, someone put my name in… someone wants me dead." She explained.

His eyebrows were in his hairline in his disbelief.

"Hmmm… you know you can tell me the truth. I'm not going to tell on you." Ron stated that weird look on his face again.

"I am Ron," she tried to plead with him.

He still looked a bit mental. "You don't have to lie to me you know? I get why you did it, a thousand galleons is great, and you will probably be good at this kind of tournament. I am not stupid you know; just wish you had asked me if I wanted to enter too."

"You say you aren't stupid, but you are doing a fine job of acting it right now!" she snapped at him.

He just stared at her, then stood up and walked away towards the common room. She felt the energy and anger drain out of her as she watched him walk away.

"Ron—wait, Ron!" But he just disappeared up the stairs, obviously too angry with her. She felt tears prick her eyes and slumped down on the step Ron had been seated on. She brought her knees up, gripped her shins and pressed her eyes into her kneecaps desperately willing herself not to cry.

She was focussing hard on breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. She hadn't cried in a long time, if she was a weepy girl in general, she would never have survived the Dursleys. Physical pain she could take, being the school pariah she could take, but losing Ron and Hermione would be more than she could bear.

She remembered back to the Chamber of secrets. It had been after Lockhart had backfired that obliviate spell and she had been separated from Ron by the rockslide.

 _"Ron, you keep trying to dig through, I'll go on." She had yelled._

 _"Harry it's way too dangerous!" Ron had yelled._

 _"Ginny may not have time Ron." She had called back. "Don't worry I'll bring your sister back!"_

 _"Harriet… fine but please be careful. You… you are my sister as well, and I can't lose you too." Ron had called through the rocks._

Harriet suspected that Ron didn't know how much what he said was worth. She had always been family less, no one had ever cared, and then suddenly she wasn't so alone in the world. Ron walking away right now was like family deserting her. It hurt like a bitch.

She realised that she had been sitting for a very long time in the corridor and that she was extremely cold. Very slowly she got up and made her way to the portrait.

"There you are! Vi has told me everything, quite the little trick you pulled." The Fat Lady said pretentiously.

"Balderdash," Harriet stated quietly.

"Humph," the Fat Lady said put-out, but still swung forward. Those who were left in the common room, and there were quite a few as it was Saturday night, surged forward when they saw her. Instantly people were patting her on the back and calling out questions. She tried to say that she hadn't done it, but no one was really listening anyway. She moved as quickly as possible through the crowd and finally ran up the stairs to her dorm.

She got into the room and closed the door, turning her back and leaning against the heavy oak. Hermione was the only one in the room and had jumped up when the door swung open.

"I… I didn't do it, Hermione, I swear I didn't. Please, I don't want to do this, I'm being forced." She was really tired, and she just didn't have another explanation in her. She just couldn't go through another round of accusations and denials.

"I know Harry, I know. I believe you." Hermione said as she came forward and gave her a hug. The relief was so great that Harry really couldn't stop the tears this time.


	5. Negative Press

The four weeks coming up to the first task at the start of November were the worst that Harriet had ever experienced at Hogwarts. The time she was the heir of Slytherin was a close second, but at least that time she had had Ron.

Ron was giving her the cold shoulder along with a majority of the school. There were still some that were talking to her. Hagrid had her back. Ginny and the Creevey brothers were supportive, perhaps too supportive in the case of the Creevey Brothers. The twins didn't treat her like the plague and would treat the whole Hogwarts champion thing as a joke when they passed her in the halls. The kept constantly trying to shine her shoes as she was walking or would drop to their knees and start bowing whilst chanting 'we aren't worthy.' Neville was also still on speaking terms with her and would always give her a smile in encouragement when the rest of the school was being nasty.

And boy, were they nasty. The Hufflepuffs who she had always gotten on well with, were treating her like she was a particularly large flobberworm. Even Professor Sprout was colder. They threw out rude gestures and even ruder words. In fairness, she had unintentionally stolen their shining moment from their champion, so she couldn't really blame them.

The Slytherins were absolute menaces. They the girls in Slytherin were going out of their way to inform her of the survival rates of the Triwizard Tournaments in the past. They weren't great statistics. Crabbe and Goyle were constantly miming her choking, predicting what she would do come the first task. Nott had created badges that said, _Potter stinks_ and _Cedric is Champion._ He was apparently selling them for two sickles a piece and had a roaring business within Hufflepuff. Malfoy was his usual smirky self but was abnormally quiet on the issue.

There were three people who did help her through though. One was Sirius. He was a voice of reason in the crazy alternative reality that she had been thrown into. She had sent a letter to him after she had been pulled from the cup, and his return letter had everything she wanted so desperately to hear. He told her that; no, she was not crazy for thinking that someone was out to get her, yes there was probably an enemy at Hogwarts, and yes, she was reading the signs right, so preparing for all she could was a smart move. He also told her something else that she didn't realise she desperately needed to hear;

 _Harriet, luv, I know that whoever put you in this tournament means you harm, but they don't know you very well. You are a very powerful witch! And more importantly, you are cool under pressure and are very intuitive when backed into a corner. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I think you will be able to get through this Tournament with one hand tied behind your back! (so long as it isn't your wand hand)_

Her second saving grace came in the giant form of Hagrid. Whenever Harriet needed an escape from the school, she would go down to visit the Hagrid's hut. It was mostly just tea and a chat, but she had started following on some of him around on his teaching and groundskeeper duties. He had even taught her how to shoot his giant crossbow. She found this activity particularly therapeutic and was getting quite good, according to Hagrid. She kept imagining the trees and stumps she was aiming for as Pansy Parkinson's face and kept getting bullseyes.

Then there was Hermione. In Harriet's young life, this was one of her toughest moments. She felt like she had been abandoned but Hermione provided her with an anchor. She gave Harriet purpose by dragging her to the library to learn everything and anything that could help. She was helping Harriet pour through texts on creatures, survival guides, and all the hexes they could get their hands on. When they weren't in a mountain of books they were practising in a classroom.

Harriet was a pretty good student who did particularly well in the practical aspects of her classes, but never had she had such a drive to learn before. Turns out possibly dying was a pretty good incentive. In terms of preparing for the tournament and for keeping on top of her homework, Hermione was excellent. And for the emotional support that her friend provided, Hermione was invaluable. Hermione was there through all the taunts and jibes, but most importantly she was there when the truly horrible part began. The publicity.

She had gone to a weighing of wands ceremony a week and a bit after becoming a champion. It was pretty straight forward, and it would not have been so bad if she had not had to meet Rita Skeeter. Throughout the entire 'interview' Harriet must have said all of three words. However, the article that had appeared two days later in the prophet had painted her as very verbose.

Not only verbose though. No Harriet was apparently very poetic in her tragedy. She was, according to the article, a poor little orphan who was desperately trying to reach out for help due to her tragic past, and the only way she knew how was to throw herself into danger. There were about three lines to spare for the other champions, and their names had been misspelt.

That article had made her steaming mad. She did NOT cry herself to sleep at night thinking of the horrors in her past, she was NOT trying to make her deceased parents proud with misguided attempts at bravery, and she did NOT think that jumping headlong into danger was the only way to get boys to look at her.

The taunts and ridicule that followed that article had been particularly nasty. The entire school was mad at her for stealing so much limelight from Cedric. And all of it was lies.

But that article had had nothing on the next article which had come out much later in the month of November, five days before the first task.

She suspected that Rita had used from kind of truth potion on Uncle Vernon because there is no way he would have talked about it otherwise. Hermione informed her that while technically it was illegal to use potions on muggles, they were much harder cases to prove as opposed to spells used on muggles for instance. Spells left a residue. Potions could be tested for in the system, but as soon as they were flushed out, the trace was gone.

Harriet had walked down into the great hall near the end of November and five days before the first task. She had not been sleeping well with the first task approaching quick and she had had a massive headache that morning. She really should have just stayed in bed.

She had walked into the Great hall rubbing her temples and it took her a moment to notice that the entire hall had gone silent as she entered. She stopped and looked around at the faces, staring at her. Most were gawking or looking at her in a worried fashion. She noticed that there were a few particular looks being sent her way. She noticed Pansy was looking like the cat that got the cream, Malfoy was staring at her intensely and weirdly angry, McGonagall looked furious, Dumbledore was solemn, Ron was not looking at her and staring hard at his breakfast, and Hermione was waving her over in a panicky state and looked close to tears.

Harriet just sighed and slumped her way over to where Hermione was and sat down. Hermione immediately started bustling.

"Here let me make you a tea hmmm. How about some toast as well, you must be hungry. You haven't been eating well, and you know what they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Can't be skipping it now, because we have a full day ahead of—"

"Hermione," Harriet had interrupted, with an exasperated look. "Listen I have a bit of a headache, so can you just tell me the bad news. There is no sense in hiding it." Harriet had told her quietly but sternly.

Hermione's bottom lip trembled, but slowly she had grabbed a Daily Prophet, that had been sitting face down on the table next to Hermione's elbow, and held it out to Harriet. Harriet grabbed it with some trepidation and she could feel the stares of the great hall upon her as she turned it over.

On the front was a large blow up picture of her from the day of the wand weighing. She looked quite pretty, if uncomfortable, in the photo. She would look at the camera, smile a small smile and then look of the side nervously. But the eye-catching part of the front page was the title.

 ** _THE GIRL WHO LIVED IN A CUPBOARD?!_**

Oh fuck.

 _Harriet Potter, who we know as the infant who stopped the terror known as You-Know-Who, and the surprise Champion of the Triwizard Tournament, did not have an easy childhood. That was to be expected when one loses their parent so early on in life, but was our saviour abused?_

 _Following my meeting with Harriet and discovering such deep seeded issues in the child, I thought to investigate further. To do so, I went to the place where Harriet grew up. The house itself was carefully warded, but the neighbours were quite forthcoming._

 _"Oh Harriet Potter, yes she lives with the Dursley. Nasty girl she is, she was sent to St Brutus Secure Centre for Incurable Children. A Juvenile centre you know." (Juvenile centres are prisons for minors in the Muggle world.)_

 _Apparently, the entire neighbourhood was under the impression that this was where Harriet disappeared to every September. And the one to propagate such a falsify about our hero? None other than her aunt and mother's sister._

 _"Oh yes she is a trouble maker that one!" says another neighbour. "Apparently she spends all her time in the local shopping centre or the park. Probably getting into drugs and the like." Sniffed the neighbour._

 _I went down to the park myself and because I was such a dedicated reporter, I found an elderly muggle man that had known the girl before she went to Hogwarts._

 _"Harriet is such a lovely girl, she used to sing on the corner for some extra money. Most pretty voice you have ever heard. Apparently, she had to buy her own clothes and the like. Played with a little guitar. I don't believe her family was well off. She would always stop to chat though, kind girl."_

 _I had to verify, "She bought her own clothes?"_

 _"Well she had to Lady, she was always wearing boys clothes. Hand-me-downs from her cousin I think she said. Way to big for the little thing! But again I don't know but I don't think her family was wealthy" He said._

 _Unfortunately, that was not true. Her muggle family were, by muggle standards, a very well to do family. They could have provided easily for her but they chose not too._

 _It seems our saviour had to beg for herself through her young life. Spending her weekends trying to buy necessities. It made me wonder what else our darling, broken, little hero was denied, so I arranged a meeting with her uncle at his place of work._

 _The man was extremely forthcoming as I asked about his niece._

 _"That girl is a menace! We live perfectly normal lives and it is horrible that we have to put up with that disgusting little FREAK for a month every year."_

 _I asked what about her was so freaky._

 _"She is a freak, plain and simple. she is an abnormal, loathsome, little brat and just like her parents with their abnormalities."_

 _It would seem that Harriet's relatives detest magic itself. I asked about what she does at home._

 _"She knows her role," he says darkly. "Finish her chores, stay out of the way, and be quiet. Thankfully the bloody urchin would leave for most of the day on the weekends when I was home. Probably out buying drugs."_

 _"Chores? What kind of chores?" I ask due to mounting concern._

 _"The usual, cook (breakfast, dinner and lunch), vacuuming (heavy muggle cleaning device), cleaning the bathroom, sorting the garage, fixing the yard, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning Dudley's (Harriet's cousin) room, washing the car (muggle transport), cleaning the gutters, dusting, sweeping, mending and whatever else needs doing."_

 _To my horror, I found out that has been doing such things since she was old enough to follow instructions, and I learned the horrible truth that our saviour had been reduced to a house elf! The reasons behind Harriet's desperate pleas for help were becoming obvious._

 _"What if she didn't finish the chores, or abide by your rules?" I asked again._

 _"Well, I would be having no such disrespect in my house! Usually, it was into her cupboard with no meals."_

 _"Her cupboard?" I asked horrified._

 _"Well we couldn't have her taking the guest room, and Dudley needed a second bedroom for his extra toys, so the Freak went into the cupboard under the stairs."_

 _I was shocked to learn that until the age of eleven, Harriet slept on a threadbare cot in a tiny cupboard, that didn't even have room for her to stand up straight in. Her only friends were the spiders that lived in the corners. She would be locked in from the outside for great lengths of time if she had misbehaved or, more horribly, if she had done accidental magic. After a particular magical incident at a zoo when she was ten, she had been locked away for a month, according to her Uncle. With twice a day bathroom breaks and a meal a day._

 _I had to ask, though I dreaded the answer, "You didn't hit her, did you?"_

 _"Humph, I tried not to dirty my hands with her freakiness. But brats like her need a firm hand with discipline, if she got out of line, Petunia or I would give her a good slap. If you don't do such things it would take a dimwitted creature like her, ages to learn. Our Dudley was good for that though. Kept her in line at school and at home by creating the game Harry Hunting, HAHAHA. Clever my son is, we hoped he could beat the freakiness out of her."_

 _The horror I felt cannot be described readers! It was no wonder that the girl's issues run as deep as they do, she was abused, starved and unloved. But now her unpleasant past has created dangerous tendencies within such a young girl, and she has expressed her deep seeded pain in the form of entering a dangerous Tournament._

 _I ask you, readers, is it safe to let such a girl compete? – Rita Skeeter_

Harriet reflected that it was kind of like watching a car crash. You felt horror, but it was all happening so fast and out of control that you could not properly react. As a result, she was in a strange state of blank shock as she looked up at Hermione who was watching her with wide brown eyes glistening with tears.

She knew that her friend had questions, but Hermione was holding her tongue. She had never really gone into too much detail about her life with the Dursleys. Though she suspected that Hermione and Ron had suspicions. Ron had had to save her when she had been locked in her room the summer after first year.

She realised that there was a furious hissing going around the great hall and that her every reaction was being scrutinized. It was a sound she knew well, it was the sound of gossip making its way through the Hogwarts' rumour mill.

As she sat there watching her horrible home life being splashed across the front page, the only real feeling that she could bring up was disbelief. Well that and the pain of her headache. The article just had to come out on a Monday, when she had double potions with the Slytherins. She had looked over once to where she knew Ron sat, but he was just furiously looking down at his own breakfast and not looking at her. Harriet sighed.

"Hermione," she had said quietly. "We can talk later." Hermione had just nodded.

Harriet would later marvel at how calm she was acting while simultaneously wanting to scream. She had sipped her tea and eaten a piece of toast on complete autopilot. She went down to the dungeons for potions. She didn't remember the lesson, except that Hermione had done most of the work. She also remembered that there were many comments being thrown around by the Slytherins, but she really couldn't hear them. She also remembered being dimly surprised at a very rare show of tact from Snape, who made no comment and had completely ignored her the entire lesson, even though she was probably worse than Neville.

Finally, after the lesson, she had foregone lunch and walked down to the lake with Hermione following closely behind her. When she had gotten far enough away from the castle, she had stopped by the edge of the lake and started to throw stones. She angrily would pick them up and throw them with as much force as she could into the surface of the water. She didn't know how else to express her rage, because she didn't want to cry. She would let out grunts and growls as she threw her stones.

After about ten minutes she was physically exhausted and dripping wet from the splashes. She slumped down closer to where Hermione had been standing. Hermione without comment dried her with a spell and sat down and hugged her. They had sat down like that for a few minutes before Hermione had asked her the silliest question.

"Can you really sing and play the guitar?" Hermione asked. Harriet had just snorted in disbelief, because of all the topics, that one had been the bottom of the list. She went through her mental list of songs.

She had spent her days in her cupboard just listening to her aunt play records, so had quite a collection of old love songs. She pointed her wand at a branch near to them. They had been working on more complex transfigurations lately in class. She thought that she could potentially change a branch into a guitar. At the very least it was easier because she was changing something wood into another object made of wood. It turned out better than expected and only had some small twigs with leaves sticking out the bottom. She gave a few experimental strums and found the sound slightly off but workable. She decided on _Over the Rainbow_.

It had been a long time since she had played. Rita was unfortunately spot on in her article. She had wanted money to buy real clothes that weren't hand me downs from her whale of a cousin, or aunt. A street performer she had seen in the town centre near Privet Drive had given her the idea. So, she had stolen Dudley broken guitar and songbook that he had got for his eighth birthday and taught herself to play. Why they ever thought Dudley could actually learn the guitar she never understood but he wanted it, so he got it.

It took a lot of work to fix up the guitar and learn the cords, but she had persevered. And the result was that she had become quite good. She would leave the Dursley's on the weekend, desperate to escape the house, and especially her uncle and her cousin who would pick on her when they were bored. It was tricky, but the Dursleys had never found out that she had stolen the guitar or about her singing in the streets. She had had to hide the guitar in the shed so no one would see it. Fortunately, she did most of the gardening, so they rarely went in there.

She strummed a few cords then started her song, a bit annoyed at how rusty she was. Eventually, it came back and then she started to sing. Her voice rang out over the water, and she felt the same feelings stirring that she had felt when she was singing on a corner all those years ago. The singing had been a way for her to gain independence from the Dursleys and had been a good method of escape. It had calmed her. She felt the same effect taking place now, and she felt a feeling of control that she hadn't felt since the start of the year when she had begun to worry about Voldemort. She was desperately needing some control in her life, and this was helping. When she had finished, she had smiled at Hermione's surprised but pleased look.

"That was really good." Hermione said softly. "Why didn't you ever tell me you could sing?... or any of the other things?"

It took a minute but eventually Harriet answered. "I don't know Hermione… I think I just enjoyed having you guys around me. I was a bit scared you would drop me if I told you. And no, you didn't say anything or do anything that made me think that." She added when she saw Hermione open her mouth to argue.

"I also didn't want you to treat me different. I… the Dursleys suck, but I'm made of sterner stuff, and the Dursley did really little to shape who I am. I just wanted to be the same person to you… both of you and Ron. Not that it matters with Ron anymore." She said letting some of the sadness she felt at Ron's loss seep through. "I know who I am, you know. I outgrew wanting the Dursley's love ages ago. I had more important issues to focus on. It just sucks to have all aspects of my life flashed everywhere."

Both Hermione and Harriet were quiet for a bit and just enjoyed the unseasonably clear day. It was still cold, but there was no rain and there were even bits of blue sky between white clouds.

"You can ask anything you want, I am not going to hide it from you," Harriet said after a while. Hermione hummed.

"Maybe later… any chance I could get another song?"

Harriet just smiled and started up on an acoustic _Bye, Bye, Blackbird_ , by Peggy Lee


	6. The Game Plan

_Previously_

 _Both Hermione and she were quiet for a bit and just enjoyed the unseasonably clear day. It was still cold, but there was no rain and there were even bits of blue sky between white clouds._

 _"You can ask anything you want, I am not going to hide it from you," Harriet said after a while. Hermione hummed._

 _"Maybe later… any chance I could get another song?"_

 _Harriet just smiled and started up on an acoustic Bye, Bye, Blackbird, by Peggy Lee._

 **The Game Plan**

It was a while later and after a couple more songs, that Hagrid came upon them. When he saw them, his eyes started to well and he let out a great sniff. Harriet had smiled and ran over to the giant man and threw her arms around his waist. He returned the hug with his own bone-crushing one.

He asked with another sniff. "I tell yeh, if I am ever seeing those Dursleys 'gain I am turning that great oaf of an uncle of yours into a pig 'swell. And that Skeeter woman is a right snake doing that t'ya. I am worried 'Arry. Why do these things always seem t'appen t'yeh, firs the tournament, now this." Hagrid sniffed again. Harriet was wondering the same thing but just enjoyed the giant comforting hand on her shoulder and righteous anger on her behalf.

"Are yeh alright 'Arry?" Hagrid asked.

"Been better Hagrid, but I will be okay." She smiled up at him. This resulted in even more tears and the girls did everything the could to calm the giant man. Finally, he managed to calm down.

"Right, I was sent out t'look for yeh. Yeh missed lunch and McGonagall's right worried about yeh two."

As if in response, Harriet's stomach grumbled, it was close to dinner. Harriet, Hermione and Hagrid all laughed. They started to make their way back to the castle. Hagrid fidgeted a bit before he began to speak again.

"Actually 'Arry, I was 'oping I would find yeh. I need yeh t'come down to the hut tonight at midnight. I have something 'mportant yeh need t'see." Hagrid said casting furtive glances around. "An' bring yer invisibility cloak."

Hermione and Harriet shared a glance.

The mystery of Hagrid's surprise kept them occupied during dinner. When that was exhausted they moved on to the pros and cons of various spells Harriet and Hermione had been trying to perfect, in a desperate attempt to prepare for the first task. Harriet was trying very had to learn an illusion charm she thought would be helpful but was having some problems with.

Their discussion, fortunately, distracted Harriet from getting worked up over the attention she was receiving. Harriet was aware that she was again the focus of many stares during dinner, but she felt much calmer than earlier after being with Hermione down by the lake, and the stares surprisingly didn't bug her as much. The twins had also broken much of the ice when Harriet had walked through the doors of the great hall.

"Harriet old chap, Fred and I here have decided to send your charming relatives some of our special candy." George started, while the twins came up and draped their arms around Hermione and herself.

"It went so well last time that we really feel they would enjoy it again," Fred said while referencing the time this previous summer when they had tricked her cousin into eating a ton-tongue toffee. It was high up there on her greatest moments with the Dursleys list. Which was actually a very short list as the only other time was when Hagrid gave Dudley a pigtail in first year.

"Yes, we are even thinking of making a game out of it, how's Dursley Drugging sound?" George grinned viciously while referencing the Harry hunting part of the Article. It surprised a laugh out of Harriet.

"Thanks guys, but if you two go to Azkaban, who will be there to make me laugh?" She asked with a grin while wrapping her arm around the waist of the nearest twin, who she was pretty sure was Fred.

"Spoilsport!" Fred said. "You know we take that job very seriously and don't want to jeopardize our employment."

"Yep, so no leaving your post due to unplanned Azkaban trips. Dreary place I hear." She responded.

"She's right, the reviews are quite terrible. Nine out of ten say the food is horrible. The other is a dementor, so I sense bias." George added with a sigh.

She was grinning as she let go of the twin that was closest to her and the other twin released Hermione. They saluted, as they walked further down the table where their friend Lee was sitting, while she and Hermione sat in their more ostracised end of the table. She chanced a look at Ron and saw that he was looking at her and looking quite miserable. He looked away as their eyes met. Some of the melancholy that she felt returned, but she was distracted by her discussion with Hermione, so she didn't focus on it.

Near the end of dinner, she was surprised when two owls swept into the great hall. One carried a package which was dropped it in front of her and then the owl took off again. The other one had a letter attached to its leg that she removed. She shared a baffled look with Hermione and opened the letter first. It was from snuffles (aka, Sirius)

 _Be near the fire in the common room at one am, and make sure the common room is cleared._

She handed the letter over to Hermione who read it and promptly burned it with a slow burn spell. Harriet then turned her attention to the package and opened it.

There were chocolate frogs and fresh baked goods, as well as a knitted hat. She picked up the letter that sat on top of the pile of treats and a quick glance to the bottom showed it was from Mrs Weasley. She read the letter and her throat clogged a little. It was full of love, and it made Harriet feel very warm inside. The article had ironically brought her more love and support than she had felt in a long time.

The better mood she was in lasted until the end of dinner. When Hermione reminded her of the homework they had to finish tonight because of their impromptu singing session down by the lake. At least it was a way to pass the time until she met with Hagrid and midnight.

Her homework was miraculously done when she went upstairs at eleven forty-five to get her invisibility cloak. She also grabbed the Marauders map for good measure. She had it planned with Hermione that she was going to open the portrait for her so no one would question the suspiciously opening door. There were still a few stragglers in the common room.

In short order, she was outside and knocking on Hagrid's door. Hagrid answered and Harriet had to fight down her shock at Hagrid's attire. He has wearing horrible furry brown dress robes and his hair was combed down with a middle part with what she suspected was axle grease.

"Umm Hagrid…" Harriet called from still under the cloak.

"Perfect yer 'ere 'Arry." Hagrid said while stepping outside and closing the door behind him. "Listen 'Arry, jus' follow along alright, an stay as silent as ye can," Hagrid said with a hushed whisper.

Harriet just nodded even though he couldn't see. She followed along behind Hagrid until they reached the edge of the forest. Finally, he stopped at the edge.

"Agrid? Agrid iz zat you?" She heard the distinct voice of Madam Maxine call from the darkness. Hagrid cleared his throat.

"Yeh, it's me. I'm jus over 'ere." Hagrid called in a hushed voice.

Madam Maxine's wand lit up and illuminated a bit of the surrounding area, as she walked over.

"Bonne soir 'Agrid," she said while fluttering her eyelashes, Harriet's jaw dropped. "Where are we going tonight?"

"Now Olympe, it's a surprise ain't it! Yeh ready? I think yer really gonna like this." Hagrid told her with barely concealed excitement and a flirty tone. He held out his arm to her and Madam Maxine took it.

They then set off into the forest, with Harriet as an invisible third wheel on the strangest date ever.

However, she soon learned the truth behind the excursion. The first task was dragons.

Charlie Weasley was there and on a detached level, she could appreciate why both Hagrid and Charlie were obsessed with dragons. They were quite stunning and amazingly powerful. However, as one of the people that had to get past the massive beasts, she was focusing on the raw power part, and a cold dread settled somewhere where stomach used to exist.

She decided that she didn't need to see anymore and turned to head back. From the corner of her eye, she saw Karkaroff outside the field of light. He had also seen the dragons. This meant that Cedric was now the only champion that didn't know. It didn't sit right in her stomach and she decided that she would tell him tomorrow. In the meantime, she headed back to the castle to meet with Sirius in the fireplace.

When she got back to the common room, Hermione was still there, but she was the only one. It was five to one, and they then sat in front of the fireplace and waited. Harriet could tell Hermione was curious, but she would hear the information when Harriet told Sirius.

It was not much longer before the fireplace flared and Sirius grinning face appeared in the flames.

"Sirius," she breathed happily.

"Hey kiddo, hey Hermione, awe kid you've gone and sprouted! You got your mother's looks that for sure." He smiled happily at her.

"Thanks Sirius," She didn't get a ton of compliments, especially lately, so it was nice to hear. "But Sirius I have so much to tell you. I think I got to start on the article. Sirius, please don't do anything stupid." She pleaded with him.

"Stupid, you say," he said in a falsely cheerful voice. "Stupid like going to Privet Drive and murdering that fat, waste of space Vernon Dursley, like that kind of stupid?"

"Yes, exactly like that," she said gravely.

Sirius seemed to take a moment to take a deep breath in through his nose and out his mouth. "I am not going after the Dursleys kiddo, you need me here. But man am I furious. Merlin Harry, I am just so angry, but I am more worried about if you are okay. Please tell me the truth, did that sorry excuse for a man ever beat you? Did he ever… did he ever touch you inappropriately?" His concerned face implored her. She felt uncomfortable but Sirius was looking at her so worriedly she decided to be truthful.

"No, no never like that. He… and Petunia… cuffed me a few times. Petunia once hit me with a skillet. But it wasn't regular, and it was never life threatening or anything. It was my cousin being a bully that I was worried about most of the time." She tried to reassure him.

He growled but seemed thankful she told him the truth, "Shit Harry, that fat pig of your cousins grinds my gears as well. But it's the fact that your Aunt and Uncle were meant to stop him but didn't that really annoys me. They probably even encouraged it." Harriet couldn't deny it.

"I told Hermione today, that I have grown much stronger than anything the Dursleys could inflict. And they never influenced my character beyond giving me an example of how not to live. The Dursleys are petty and stupid Sirius and definitely not worth any more of our time. I have bigger things to worry about," she told him seriously.

Sirius looked kind of choked. "They ruined your childhood kid. I don't know if I can forgive that."

"Nah, I have always been mature for my age," she bragged with a grin. "Besides, I carved out happiness where I could. And half the time the fun was in sneaking it past the Dursley."

Sirius gave a strangled little laugh. "When you talk like that you remind me of your mother. She was a smart woman, and always knew the best path, knew what was right. But when you flash that cheeky grin, I swear I see James." They smiled at each other.

"Now, let me give you a warning," Sirius said, becoming graver in tone.

"There are some old enemies in Hogwarts. You need to keep an eye on Karkaroff. He is an ex-Death Eater. He sold out some others to get his free ticket out of Azkaban, but that doesn't mean he suddenly shits out rainbows. He is a powerful dark wizard. Your idea that maybe Pettigrew got into Hogwarts and put your name in the cup, doesn't seem right to me. Pettigrew does know some dark magic, but I remember his confundus from when I thought we were fighting on the same side, it wasn't great. His charms, in general, are weak. I think that you are right when you said that there is information that we are missing, but I'm not sure what it is." He said seeming frustrated. "You know the case of the missing woman from the Magical Sports and Games division, Bertha Jorkins?" At their nod, for the girls had read about it in the paper, he continued. "The ministry is finally catching on that it wasn't just her extending her vacation. I knew Bertha back in school, she was a couple years older. She was dumb as a post, but she knew all the gossip and couldn't keep her mouth shut. It's not in the paper, but her last known location was in Albania, where what's left of Voldemort was hiding. I think it's safe to assume that Voldemort knows about the Tournament. I just don't really see what his end game is?"

"Perhaps," Harriet interjected. "It's to get me barbequed."

"Huh?" Sirius asked. Hermione beside her also shot her a questioning look.

"The first task… Hagrid showed me what I'm up against tonight. Dragons Sirius. I have to get past a Dragon." As she said it the same dread settled in her stomach. Sirius cursed and she saw Hermione blanch.

"Alright, that's okay, relax, we can work with dragons… there are some simple spells that will work. You just need to-" but all three of them fell silent as noise on the stairs sounded.

"Go!" Harriet hissed, and turned away from the fireplace, standing up. After a beat, Ron appeared at the bottom of the stairs. And they all stared at each other frozen.

It had been a very long day, with many ups and downs. From the article in the morning, to double potions, to the talk with Hermione, to meeting Hagrid, and to finally seeing Sirius. She had been through a whirlwind of emotions and was therefore not feeling too happy that Ron had interrupted her talk with Sirius.

"Well?" she asked, fully letting her annoyance seep through. "Do you want something?"

Ron raised an eyebrow at her obvious attitude. "Just thought I heard a noise…"

"Yep… it was me… mystery solved. Do you feel like an Auror now? Is your ego satisfied?" She was being a total bitch, but she just didn't care anymore. He scowled at her.

"Whatever…" he said and spun on his heel to walk back upstairs. When he was gone Hermione turned her frustrated face to her.

"Merlin Harry! Why did you do that? You both miss each other a lot, you guys can make up." Hermione said in a distressed voice.

"He's the one who ditched me! I am not here to make sure he's alright every step of the way, I got my own problems." Harriet snapped at Hermione.

Hermione just held up her hands in surrender. "Its nearly two in the morning, we need some sleep for tomorrow. We have to find out how to get past dragons."

Right, dragons. The perpetual dread again felt heavy in her gut.

And it didn't improve the next morning either.

She did, however, get to assuage some of her guilt early in the day.

As she was leaving charms (her first period), she saw Cedric and his perpetual posse walking towards her. This was her chance to even the field, she just needed to get his attention. But why did he have to walk around with such a large and attractive group of friends? She saw, Cho Chang, Ravenclaw's very pretty seeker standing very close to Cedric and felt a small twinge of jealousy.

She had to plant herself in the way of the group so that she could get Cedric's attention who was walking right in the middle. Most of his friends were sporting the _Cedric is the Champion_ badge, but they all changed theirs to _Potter stinks_ when they saw her. Cedric just gave her a confused look as she waved slightly at him, ignoring his friends.

"Hi," she said awkwardly, "can I talk to you?"

He blinked a couple times, then looked over to his friends. "Go ahead, I'll meet you in charms."

She waited until all his friends had left, Cho Chang, smiled at her hesitantly as she walked by. Cho wasn't wearing a badge, and Harriet felt scummy that she had been thinking some not-so-kind thoughts about the girl. Harriet managed a weak smile back.

Finally, they were mostly alone, except for a few stragglers in the hallway. She waited till they went by and then faced Cedric fully. Surprisingly it was Cedric who spoke first.

"I am sorry about the badges, I tell them not to wear them." Cedric started giving her an embarrassed look.

"What?"

"My friends…" he prompted.

"Oh! Nah its cool I don't care." She said awkwardly. And she didn't, she had her priorities and badges and taunts were low down the list.

"And I am really sorry about the article." He said again, searching her face for something.

"Huh?"

"The article… in the prophet… yesterday?"

"Oh! Oh….um…yeah that's… that's okay, I mean what do you have to be sorry for, it was Skeeter." She said, the article honestly felt like a million lifetimes ago, too much had happened since. She was being sidetracked.

"Listen, that's not what I needed to talk to you about. I found out what the first task is, and you need to know. It's dragons. We have to get past dragons." She told him quietly. Whatever he had expected her to say that was obviously not that because now he was staring at her in shock.

"H-how do you know?" he asked.

"I saw them. They have four, one for each of us."

Again, he was staring at her in surprise.

"Why are you telling me?" He asked her intently.

It was her turn to reel back in shock. Well I guess now that she thought about it, she realised that they were competitors.

"I… well it's not fair. I know for sure that Krum and Delacour also know, so you would have been the odd man out." She told him earnestly.

He studied her face for a moment longer then nodded. "Thanks, Potter. I really should be getting to charms now though."

"Right." She nodded as he walked past her down the hall. She watched him for another second.

"That was mighty noble of you Potter." A voice called from behind her. She spun fast and had her wand in her hand faster, but she didn't raise it as she recognized Madeye Moody's' voice. The man almost smiled at her reaction.

"Excellent Potter, constant vigilance. Now come with me, let's have a little chat." He said stomping past her on his peg leg.

The little chat ended up being the basis for her entire strategy.

At lunch, she had excitedly run down into the great hall to find Hermione already waiting for her. She had nearly sent Hermione sprawling, as in her haste to tell Hermione her plan, she practically crashed into the unsuspecting girl. The plan was going to require a bit of practice, but she believed she maybe could pull it off.

And so, the next four days were spent practising two spells. A simple summoning charm and a modified illusion charm. The illusion charm that had been giving her trouble before. It was tricky but, in the end, she managed to make a bare base illusion of herself that would move in the way that she told it. If she flicked her wand in a direction a ghostly image would move that way. It wouldn't fool a human with a decent pair of eyes, because it just looked like a basic smoky outline of her hair, face, and robes. Hopefully though, it would be enough to trick a Dragon. She could really only hope.


	7. Dragon Lunch

It was the night before the first task, and she had been in the library doing a last read over of some of the dragon books. It was pretty much useless though. She had done everything she could with for the plan and had read all these books already. Not too mention that her nerves had her constantly distracted away from the words of the text. Finally, with a sigh, she gave up. She needed rest.

She packed up her thing and made her way out of the library.

"Feeling confident Potter?" a voice called from just ahead of her. She had been so caught up in her musing that she didn't even realise that Malfoy was standing right in front of her. He quirked his eyebrow as he watched her jump about a foot in the air.

"Obviously not…" he muttered.

"What do you want Malfoy?" she asked him in exasperation. She really didn't need this right now.

"Just wondering if that's the face you are going to wear tomorrow?" He asked.

"The face I'm going to wear?" she asked, honestly confused.

"Yep, your face currently screams _help I have no idea what I'm doing!"_ He said the last bit in a high falsetto voice in imitation of her. _"_ You are going to be on the Videus screens of almost every wizarding household and establishment in Europe tomorrow. You may want to try wearing a mask that reflects a little more confidence." He smirked at her. She frowned at him.

"Is that what you do Malfoy? Is that cocky smirk a mask?" she asked him with a surprising amount of gravity. For a moment his cocky grin faltered, but then it returned in force

"Only those who are close to me get to know that," he leaned forward until his face was well within her personal bubble, and she had to fight the urge to lean back. "Why? Do you want to be one of those special people that are… close to me?" he asked with all the sweetness of a snake charmer.

"Maybe when Hell freezes over - so be sure to let me know when Slytherins' dungeons start getting icy." She shot back with equal faux sweetness.

He snorted and moved back from her.

"Well, you better go get your beauty rest for tomorrow princess. Oh, and do try to last ten minutes. I have a bet with Nott, he says you are only going to last five." Malfoy swept his hand as if to let her pass.

"I'll be sure to take your gambling into consideration," she shot back sarcastically. "Perhaps you also want to tell me how exactly you bet that I'll meet my end, then maybe I can accommodate that as well."

"Such service." Malfoy snorted. "But for the record, I have down that you won't be meeting your end, and you'll come just as fine as you usually do because of your incredible dumb luck." He said while rolling his eyes.

Harriet stared at him for a moment, if you squinted at it sideways it kind of sounded like a compliment. She shook her head and walked by him, giving him one more glance before she hurried back to the tower.

Strangely though, Harriet felt better. Nothing like verbal sparring with a snake to distract you from possible death by dragon.

* * *

When she woke much earlier than her alarm the next day it was actually Malfoy that she was thinking about, or more accurately, his concept of masks. She had tried not to think about the fact that everyone in wizarding Europe was going to be seeing her get grilled to well done by a giant lizard. Now she realised, that whether she wanted it or not this was happening, and she didn't want them to glorify in her fear. Maybe she needed a mask.

She got up from the bed, grabbed a square box that she had been given a week ago by Professor McGonagall and made her way to the toilets she shared with her roommates. She leaned her hands against the sink and looked at her face. She needed a mask so she wanted her face to be steel and not show any weakness. She definitely didn't want it to show her real feelings, which currently reflected the fact that her own stomach was trying to eat her alive. Slowly her wracked by nerves look changed to something with a bit more grit. The mask that stared back was rather blank, but her eyes flashed with determination. As her face steeled, so did her nerves… to a point, but she was a little less anxious. She just had to do what she could. She decided to focus all her energy on getting ready. This day just had to happen one step at a time.

Slowly, she brushed out her long, inky black hair until it was smooth and shiny. Then she pulled it back tight from her face making sure it was all even. She tied it with a hair tie then twisted the hair until it was a tight bun on the back of her head. Less chance of it burning.

Next, she turned to the box that she had brought with her to the bathroom. It was her uniform for the tournament. It consisted of a black, long-sleeved undershirt and a set of black pants. The pants were comfortable and stretchy and were tightly fitted at the ankles. Over the top of the black ensemble, she threw on the robe that came with the uniform, which she likened to Quidditch robes. It was a pullover that it didn't open in the front. The neckline was high and wide. The sleeves were tighter, much more so than normal robes. They were also snug around the chest for arrow dynamics. They loosened at the hips and there was a slit up the middle of the skirt part of the robe in the front and in the back to allow for movement. The robe ended just below her knee.

The material of the robe was light and durable. It was almost all a deep red colour like blood, but there were deep gold accents embroidered onto the edges and the name _Potter_ , was stitched in gold along the back. The final flare was the thin leather belt that cinched around the waist to bring in the small amount loose fabric. When she looked in the full-length mirror at the back of the door, she noticed that the cinch of her waist almost made her look like she had curves.

She laced up the arm guard/wand holster, that had come with the uniform onto her right arm. The guard would block some minimal backlash of magic from her wand and the wand holster was standard issue for the tournament. She slipped her wand into it and grabbed the dark brown gloves form the box. They were soft on the inside, but the leather was flexible, another standard issue for the tournament. The final step was to lace up the knee-high dragon leather boots that she used for quidditch. They were soft, warm, made her feet look dainty, and best of all they had a very small, wide boot heel, that made her half an inch taller. She had one last look in the mirror, and she decided that she was missing one final piece before she went into battle. She was feeling mighty dangerous and she wanted to show it.

Fortunately, she heard the other girls stirring in the room. She had spent a lot of time dressing, being meticulous and exact. She walked into the room and she saw Hermione freeze at the sight of her, her mouth popping open. But she actually needed someone else right now.

"Pavarti," she called. Pavarti and Lavender both turned their heads and she saw their mouths pop open in surprise too. "I was wondering if you could help me with some make-up?"

Pavarti's eyes widened even further. It was well known that Harriet was the biggest tomboy of the lot, and she didn't wear makeup ever, but Harriet felt the need for some war paint.

"Umm sure," Pavarti said and joined her in the bathroom.

"I just want something to make me look a little fiercer. Make me a different kind of Harriet." She said.

"Oh… well, how about a little eyeliner and mascara. Anything more and I think it would be too much with your current look." Pavarti said. Harriet nodded and Pavarti got to work. Very lightly she lined the top lid of Harriet's eyes, then brushed some mascara over the long, thick lashes. When Pavarti was done she looked in the mirror and saw that the steely glint that she had been employing all morning was accented and enhanced. It was perfect, she felt much calmer, a tad more in control, a wee bit more powerful, and hella lot more feminine. It was what she needed because she really wanted to live through this madness, and she didn't feel like giving Voldemort an inch.

She waited of her bed as the other girls got ready, looking out the window employing her mask and doing her best to ignore her nerves. _Do not think about the task, do not think about the task_. The sky was clear, and the sun was rising. It was going to be a beautiful day, the likes of which they did not see often in the Scottish Highlands in winter.

The girls must have felt inspired because when they came out Lavender and Pavarti sported similar makeup, with their hair was pulled back tight. Lavenders in a high ponytail and Pavartis in a perfectly symmetrical French braid. Even Hermione was looking moved because she had pulled her bushy hair back tight into a clip and had even worn mascara.

"Ready?" Hermione asked.

Harriet grimaced but placed her beloved Firebolt on her bed facing the window slightly, "Yes, yes I am."

Despite her waking up so early while waiting for the other girls they had become some of the last to enter the great hall for breakfast. Later, when Hermione recounted the moment of her walking into the great hall, Harriet was informed that she turned heads as she passed because she looked freaking badass!

Fred, or George, wolf whistled and that had started the Gryffindor table off. The quidditch team started hollering, Ginny and Colin led the younger years, and soon all of the Gryffindors were on their feet stomping as she made her way over to the table. It was the first time she felt like Gryffindor had united for her. She let a small fond smile grace her features.

But after she had sat down, she resumed her steely look. She wouldn't let anyone see how much she felt like collapsing. She made her tea and helped herself to two pieces of toast and an apple. She occupied herself with her breakfast and kept to herself. No one disrupted her moment, though Hermione kept shooting her looks. After the table's had been cleared everyone fell silent as Dumbledore stood up from the high table.

"Champions! If you please follow Professor Hagrid, he will take you to where you will wait before the tasks." Hagrid stood at the double doors of the entrance hall, nearly bouncing with excitement.

She saw Fleur, Krum and Cedric rise too. She noticed that Cedric had a similar outfit to her own, but his was a deep yellow, almost mustard, in colour with black highlights. All the Champions were pale but focussed, as they made their way down in the direction fo the quidditch pitch. They passed the pitch and Harriet could see a colourful tent and high stands built off in the distance.

Soon enough they were waiting within the tent and listening to the spectators start to walk by. The stands were filling, and it was almost time.

Finally, Bagman, Crouch, Dumbledore, Madam Maxine, Krakoff and one other man entered the tent. Dumbledore came to stand between Cedric and herself and met her eye as he walked over. He looked reassured by whatever he saw because he sent her a smile.

"Now, gather round Champions, gather round. Yes, there we are, perfect." Bagman clapped loudly, looking like a kid at Christmas, and wearing his Wimbledon wasp uniform again.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, in a moment I will get you to reach into this bag here," he indicated a purple velvet bag he had in his hands. "And you will draw out a replica of the creature you will be facing. They are all different … subsets of each other, see? Now before you do that, you must know what it is you need to do. Your mission is to capture the golden egg that is guarded by these creatures. No permanent harm should befall the creatures or the other eggs if you can help it. We are judging based on finesse and time, so quick, quality is key I say." He laughed at his own wordplay.

"Now one last thing to do. This here to my left is Mr Holly. He is in the RD department; charms division and he was one of the clever chaps who made my Videus charm idea a reality. He will be placing the spell on you before you are called forth and we will take it off after. The charm will find the best angles to get all the action. It will not impede your movement or line of sight in any way. It is, in essence, a very complicated monitoring charm. The signal then gets broadcasted to everyone with a vidues crystal and who pays to watch the event. It three knuts per person, and let me tell you, there was already a massive preorder to watch the event from all over Europe. The Triwizard Tournament has already been a huge success."

Harriet could frankly care less about the ratings and was more interested in getting it over with.

At Dumbledore's pointed look, Mr Bagman seemed to reign himself in a bit. He grabbed the purple bag and pulled open the drawstring. "Now, Ms Delacour you first."

Fleur was to his right and she reached in and grabbed something from within the bag. When she opened her hand, she revealed a perfect model of a Welsh green with a number two around its neck.

He offered the bag to Krum next, who was to the right of Fleur, he reached in and took out a red little dragon with a three around its neck.

"Ooh the Chinese Fireball," Bagman grinned.

Cedric was next in line and he reached in and pulled out a blue-grey Swedish short snout with a number one.

Ugh, Harriet knew which one was left. She reached and pulled out the black scaled, brown spiked, mean looking Hungarian Horntail with a number four. Of course, she would get the worst one. It didn't matter though, it was the same problem with all the dragons, albeit with a few more spikes.

She tried to wrangle her emotions, she could get through this, she just needed to stick to her plan.

The headmasters wished them all luck and exited the tent. Mr bagman than introduced Mr Holly to Cedric. Then he walked over to her.

"Mrs Potter, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mr Bagman asked. She followed him off the side.

"So, got a plan? I could give you some hints you know." He said in a whisper.

She just looked at him perplexed. "Er…no I think I'm alright."

"You sure, I could give you a couple pointers."

"No thanks."

"Right then." He seemed disappointed but he bustled off to join the other judges.

She walked back to the others and was just in time to see Mr Holly finish waving his wand in a complicated motion above Cedric's head. Cedric flashed red and apparently, the spell was up and functional. He didn't look any different.

There were a couple of tense minutes where Bagman muffled voice could be heard greeting the crowd and finally the call for Cedric came and he left through the tent flap. Harriet had offered a small smile and wave as good luck.

She couldn't listen to the commentary, or she was going to vomit, so she decided to think over her plan. She was at the end, so she had some time to think over the new information. She placed her little model on the table and studied it.

They were nest mothers. From her reading, she had learned that they were particularly aggressive if someone was close to their nest. They also prioritised the eggs so getting the dragon off the eggs was going to be the biggest challenge. She could picture the great black lizard sitting low over the nest, but how could she get it off? She heard Cedric get the egg after a time and Fleur was called forth.

She circled her finger around the model and the little dragon snapped at it in play. At one point she noticed her dragon, spinning to see where her finger had gone. The dragons head reminded her vaguely of a frill-necked lizard, which she had read about at the library in her public school. Except it was a less extreme splay of tissue around the head and instead of frills they were spikes. While wicked looking, Harriet realised something very important. They left the dragon with a blind spot in their peripheral vision. Fleur had gotten the egg and now Krum was leaving for his turn.

The moves were starting to take place in her mind. Her flight pattern taking shape. It was a tricky bit of flying but she reckoned that she had it in her. Not only that, but she was also going to have to do a spell at high speeds. It would have to be timed perfectly. Strangely the thought of the tricky flying was building her confidence even more. She really could do this. This dragon was just a prettier version of the Slytherin Quidditch team, and she could trounce them with one and tied behind her back.

She heard the crowd roar as Krum got the egg. Mr Holly was then back in the tent and moving over to her. He gave her a worried smile no doubt seeing her size and stature but proceded to do the Videus charm. She felt the strangest sensation of being watch pass over her as the red light flashed. It lifted the hair at the back of her neck and had her shoulder tensed, but the feeling passed when the light faded. Finally, she heard Bagman call her name.

"And our final and surprise contestant, Miss Harriet Potter!"

She stepped through the flap of the tent and took a second to asses her surroundings.

The spectators were high in the air looking down on the pit she was standing in. She could see where the judges were with a special table and saw next to the judges the other Champions sat with their golden eggs. Even higher above the crowds floated what could only be described as giant theatre screens. There were three floating in a triangular position above the crowd. They were larger than any theatre screens she had ever seen though, not that she had seen many with the Dursleys as her guardians. On the screens was her face. She looked pale but the mask was holding as she coolly took stock of her surroundings. She figured that this is what the viewers at home were seeing. If she didn't have other things to focus on, she would have complimented herself on a mask well done, as her eyes glinted, and her face was determined.

As it was, she directed her attention to the sixty feet of mean scales in front of her. The dragon sat on a nest that was slightly raised above the rocky earth that made the floor of the pit. There were some large boulders that were littered around the floor that would have provided some excellent cover if she had been going that route. The dragon had its golden eyes on her and its lips pulled back in a snarl.

Her perusal of the area took only a few moments, and then she jumped into action. "Accio Firebolt," she yelled into the air and dived quickly behind a boulder. She remembered Charlie's words from the other night, " _I have seen that Horntail shoot fire forty feet."_ That meant she was in range. No sooner than she had jumped behind the boulder than she saw bright hot flames pass by on the side of her.

She heard commentary coming from Bagman, but she wasn't listening to the words. She was more focused on praying for her broom. She realised she wouldn't have time to mount the normal way, she was going to have to jump. She looked out to her left and saw a ledge that offered a bit of leverage to get airborne. This was risky but she trusted her Firebolt implicitly. That was when she saw it racing fast from the direction of the castle to the right. It was coming in hot, but if she was going to get out from this boulder without being toasted, she had to distract the dragon for a second. She reached around the boulder and fired a reducto curse to her right. The spell hit a boulder and had the wanted effect of making a loud noise and a small dust cloud.

The dragon looked to the right and she took off running to the left. She sprinted for the ledge, pumping her legs hard. She hit the ledge fast and jumped as high as she could while yelling with the most commanding tone she could muster.

"UP!"

Just like it had on her first flying lesson, back in first year, her broom responded. The broom already moving fast from the accio spell adjusted its course and moved even quicker to do its master's bidding. She felt her hand close around the broom in mid-air and her leg just get over the handle. Then she was off, and any doubts about the plan were left in the dust as she took to the air. She vaguely recognised that the crowd was on their feet.

She wasn't paying attention to them though. She flew high into the air to take a breath and take a moment to calm her heart. She looked down and saw the crowds cheering and the dragon snarling while looking every direction at the loud crowd.

Her dragon was confused and disoriented with all the sound, and she wanted to take full advantage of its confusion. She dove down and started to fly in quick circles over the head of the dragon. On her first fast lap around the dragon's head, but far enough away from fire or the wicked spiked tail, she spotted the glint of gold near the left edge of the nest. She raised higher and watched as the dragon lifted slightly off the nest to follow her. She did a couple more laps, watching as the dragon tried to swivel its head around to keep his eye on her.

Perfect the dragon was swivelling it great head like her little model had done. She transferred her wand to her right hand and decided it was time to make her move.

She dived in towards the dragon.

She came from the dragon's right and had a course that would fly close to the dragon's face. She could see the way the dragon's keen eyes watched her trajectory like an eagle watching its prey in flight. She got closer and closer and she saw the dragon's mouth open ready to snap her up. She raised her wand and spun it while yelling " _Geminius momentum."_

At the same time, using her left hand, she pulled sharply down and to her right on her broomstick. For those watching it was like she separated into two beings. One had her vague shape and colour, and raced forward following her original trajectory close to the dragon's waiting jaws. Her real body, however, rolled into the most complicated barrel roll she had ever done. If the dragon took the bait, then it would jump up and grab her misty clone. She could really only hope that the dragon did because she could not see the dragon while she was twisting. Her barrel roll was a very complicated, onehanded, backwards roll into a nearly vertical dive, which tactically brought her into the blind spot of the dragon.

The force of the roll nearly threw her, especially because she only had one hand, but she kept her grip and didn't fight the momentum.

At the perfect moment, she righted herself out of the roll so that she would not over rotate. She was now pointed directly at the ground and she very skillfully slipped her wand into her holster and maintaining her steep dive. She could now see that the dragon had indeed taken the bait. It had raised up on its hind legs and was reaching out its jaws to snap at her illusioned clone. Her path was now clear under the dragon.

She leveled out, staying close to the dragon's flank, and coming horizontal just over the eggs. As she was doing so, she heard screams from the crowd. She realised that the dragon must have snapped up the ghost clone and many in the crowd didn't realise it was not her, especially with the speed of things.

She executed another barrel roll but to the left this time. As she passed underneath her broom, her left arm outstretched and plucked the egg neatly from the nest. She brought the egg close and stayed tight to the dragon's right flank as she shot straight into the air and well away from the dragon's flames.

She brought herself to a halt only when she was flying over the tent that she had started in. With safety achieved, she finally focused on the commentary.

"Wait – Wait a tick, what on earth just happened?! She wasn't eaten at all, she is flying above the Marquis. And… GREAT SCOT SHE HAS GOT THE EGG!" Bagman was shouting now, and many eyes turned to her. She saw herself on the big screen looking out of breath, but perfectly unharmed, and holding the golden egg close to her chest. It took a moment, but the noise of the crowd grew, and suddenly it was deafening. For just a brief moment she allowed herself to bask in the cheers. She even lifted the egg into the air to the sounds of even louder cheers.

"But how did that happen! Let's see that in slow motion, shall we?" Bagman called and everyone turned to the screens, herself included.

"And there she is making the dive, yes that was a high-speed move. Oh, wait! There it was! She cast a Geminius momentum! Oh brilliant! Her clone shoots forward on its trajectory, and the dragon takes the bait! Oh, and look at that onehanded, barrel roll into a vertical dive! While stowing her wand! Great Merlin the girl can fly! Are you watching this Krum? Superb, there she is now under the dragon. And another excellent barrel roll to the left to grab the egg, and a neat getaway after!

The crowd roared its approval again. It had taken her all of ten minutes. Looked like Malfoy was going to win the bet after all.

"And a sweeping win for our youngest constant! Finishing with the quickest time and nary scratch. Oh, bravo, bravo!"

She noticed that McGonagall was waving her down, with Madam Pomfrey by her side. Both women looked extremely frazzled. She made her way down and landed beside the two women. Instantly McGonagall crushed her in a hug.

"Lass, doncha evir be doing dat ter me agin," Her Scottish brogue, coming out strong in her frazzled state. Harriet felt herself smile. Madam Promfey was buzzing around her looking for something to treat.

Now that she was back on the ground and the entire ordeal was over, she found her legs turning into jelly. She had exhausted her adrenaline and now felt like a limp noodle. As such, she was barely able to stay upright when Hermione pounced on her. The hug was bone crushing and very welcome!

"Harry! You did it! That was the greatest flying I have ever seen! Now it's just the scores!"

She turned to face the judges and saw from the corner of her eye that she was still on the screen. The Vidues charm was still on her, probably to get her reactions to her score.

Barty Crouch raised his wand and shot a ten in the air, Bagman likewise shot a ten in the air. Dumbledore followed with a ten as well. Madam Maxine shot up a nine. And Karkaroff shot up a five.

Hermione had frowned at the five but was otherwise happy. "Harry, you're in the lead!" she called over the noise of the crowd. She just nodded and smiled. She honestly couldn't give a toss; her goal was to live.

She was grabbed soon after and dragged over to where the other contestants were standing. Cedric was smiling at her, and Krum had his think eyebrows raised as he reassessed her. Fleur looked at her impassively.

"Now champions! You have your egg." Bagman called, still using magical voice amplification so the crowd could hear. "The next task will be an exercise in preparation. Each egg contains a clue to prepare up for you for the next task. Good luck! The second task will take place on February 10th."

Right after someone bustled over to her and finally took the charm off her. She felt herself breath in relief now that she was no longer being watched.

"Wow, well played Harriet! That flying was absolutely brilliant!" Cedric said still standing next to her. "You gave all of us a heart attack though when we thought you were dragon lunch." She blushed, feeling happy Cedric was talking to her.

"Yeah, well, flying is the thing I'm great at, and had to play to my strengths you know." She mumbled. They were walking out of the arena now. Harriet could see ahead of her Hermione's bushy hair and a tall redhead next to her. Her warm, fuzzy feeling of talking to Cedric disappeared as she approached Ron.

"Um, Cedric, I am sorry I need to go talk to my friends. But um, congratulations and everything, I didn't see you go, but I am sure you did really well." She said.

"Thanks. And the only reason I did well was thanks to you and your helpful hints. I'll see you around Harriet, enjoy your victory party up in the tower!"

"I am sure yours will be just as much of a ruckus." She quipped with a grin.

"Oh, no way! We could never match the Gryffindor ragers, we don't have the Weasley twins." He winked. She laughed and conceded on that point. The twins did know how to throw a party.

Her amusement died as she came to stand in front of Ron. Hermione was standing just off the side looking worriedly at them. Ron was scuffing his feet looking miserable.

"Harry… listen, mate, I am sooo sorry. I have been a royal berk!" Ron said finally looking up.

"Yeah, you have." She said coldly.

Ron winced, "yeah, I know. I know that you didn't put your name in the Goblet. I was just… jealous. And I know you don't really understand my reasoning but… but I was. I am so sorry that I wasn't there to help you prepare, or that I wasn't with you when that stupid article came out, but if you can forgive me, I promise to do whatever I can to help you get through the rest of this crazy tournament. I know I haven't acted like it, but you're still my best mate, and practically my second sister. And I am really sorry I ditched you! When I thought you had been chomped by that dragon, I swear I nearly lost my breakfast!" Ron said still looking miserable.

She ran forward and hugged him. She knew she was forgiving him too easy, but she had seriously missed him. Ron was the Fred to her George, and they were better together. He hugged her back.

"I'm sorry for some of the nasty things I said too, Ron," she said when she finally looked up. "I was just so mad, at you. And I do kinda get it. I am a spotlight hog, even when I don't want to be, and I know that it can be hard to be around me because of that." She sniffed.

"Ah well, it not too hard," Ron said smiling. "You make it fun sometimes."

She laughed. She loved Hermione to the moon and back, but Ron was who made her laugh and who she shared her jokes with. He brought that balance of easygoing times into her life and she really really missed it.

"I missed you, Ron, you're my best mate and the closest thing I will ever have to a brother." She stated happily, while he smiled at her.

They both weren't prepared to be tackled from the side by Hermione and they barely stayed upright. She was sobbing and hugging them both tightly. Ron blushed and Harriet laughed. They were together again and that is what mattered.


	8. Lemuria Obsidian

Immediately after, Harriet Hermione and Ron walked to the owlery.

They were however intercepted by Rita Skeeter.

"Harriet Darling can I have a word?"

"Sure… Goodbye!" She smiled overly sweet at Skeeter as she walked very quickly past the annoyed woman.

She couldn't resist writing Sirius and giving her take on the event. She wondered if he had been watching. Hermione had filled Ron in on everything that had occurred with Sirius telling them about Karkaroff and how they thought it was somehow Voldemort behind putting her name in the cup. Ron also gave her a blow by blow of how the other contestants got past their dragons.

"But in the end Harry you were by far the best! Mate, I knew you were a good flyer but performing a one-handed barrel roll into a dive like that, while shooting off spells! It the stuff of legends! New title – the girl who out flies dragons… huh? What do you think?"

Harriet just laughed.

"And your illusion spell was perfectly timed!" Hermione added. "Most of the crowd thought you had been eaten. You should have seen their faces when you were spotted floating peacefully above the marquis! All the judges looked like they were going to vomit, except Dumbledore who pointed you out to Bagman." She giggled.

"Be careful of my mum mate! She is going to be having some words with you." Ron added with a shudder. "Both she and dad said they would be watching at a screening in the Leakey Cauldron."

"How many people have these Videus screen things?" Harriet asked. "What even are they?"

"Well, "began Hermione in her lecturing tone. "The charms and their broadcasting crystals were only actually made very recently. But they have become extremely popular already. They act like muggle television in that you pay for a program and you get access to the broadcast. Wizards and witches don't have anything like sitcoms or anything yet, so it has mostly been events like Quidditch matches. Although, I foresee the Videus programs becoming just as large as muggle television in the future. Who knows Harry, there may be a movie made about you one day," Hermione chuckled as Harriet blanched. "Anyway, the charm was created to film action and drama from the best possible angle. So, I bet everyone watching you today actually thought for a second that you had been eaten. And I bet they're a lot of people watching. It is relatively new so any chance to use it is welcome, and the only events to watch are sporting events or things like the Triwizard Tournament. You are going to get super popular again Harry."

"Great…Just great!" Harriet moaned.

When she had finished with her letter, they made their way back to the school. They made their way up the common tower and when they reached the Fat Lady, Ron called "Balderdash."

They opened the door and were blasted by a wave of sound. Harriet jumped and had her wand out of her holster as the noise took her by such surprise. But there was no reason to worry. Hands reached out and hauled her in by the shoulders. She felt the twins bend down and grab her legs then hoist her up to sit on their shoulders. She barely managed to keep hold of the egg and keep her balance.

All of the Gryffindors were packed in the common room and cheering loudly. Everyone had a butterbeer in their hand, there were snacks on the table and there was a large screen at the back silently replaying her battle with the dragon.

"Alright peasants!" Fred yelled from under her.

"Settle down, settle down! Her royal hineyass-" George yelled

"-has decrees on which to bestow on to ye!" Fred finished.

Everyone turned their smiling faces up to her. And Harriet froze at the expectant faces.

"Er… um… Thanks for cheering?" Everyone just laughed at her lack of eloquence.

"Open it, Harry!" Someone called from the back.

"Ya, let's see what's inside!" someone else called.

"She can only work on the clue by herself," Hermione called from beside her.

"Oh like you didn't do all you could to help me with the dragon," Harriet said quietly with an amused raised eyebrow.

Hermione blushed and Harriet grinned.

"Well… should I open it?" Harriet called, getting into the festivities.

"Yeah!" many chorused back.

"Are you sure?" she yelled with a smile.

"Go on Harry!" - "Do it!" – "Break it on the side of a bowl!" Harriet doubted that would work, but she found a little notch and pried the egg open with her finger.

She was promptly dropped as an unearthly wail sounded from inside the egg. The egg, fortunately, snapped closed as she dropped it.

"What on earth was that?" Katie Bell asked.

"It was a hag, Harry! You got to fight one of those next."

"No, it was someone being tortured! You are going to be crucioed!" Neville shouted in fear.

"Don't be daft Neville! That's obviously our mum after you have tracked mud into the house. Maybe you have to get by her and steal the cookie jar." George added.

"Mind you share some with us alright! Her baking is the best." Ron added.

"Well, I think it's a mystery for another day," Angela added. "I have no doubt that our resident trouble maker will figure it out," she added with a wink to Harry. "In the meantime, lets party!"

Cheers went up again and she was herded around the common room to be congratulated by everyone. The quidditch team and most of the boys wanted her to recount in great detail her side of the story. They oohed and ahhhed at the appropriate places and she allowed herself for one of the first times in her life to enjoy being the centre of attention. She did do something pretty cool after all. And through it all Ron stuck by her, so it was all worth it in the end.

At the end of the night, she put her little Hungarian Horntail model on her bedside and placed the egg beside it. She marvelled at what a difference a day could make for her mental well being.

* * *

The next day was Monday. Which meant morning double potions. Which meant her jubilant mood would probably go downhill fast. She decided to enjoy it while it lasted. She noticed as she walked down to the great hall that people were not avoiding her like the plague anymore. In fact, people were coming over to shake her hand, especially the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw quidditch players.

"Great show Harry! Really was an incredible move, could barely believe the replay." Called one of the chasers from Ravenclaw.

"I am still cheering for Cedric, but your flying was incredible, we all agree." Smiled the Mary McCauley the Hufflepuff's keeper.

She had been forgiven by the school, which only added to the euphoric feeling.

Soon though she was headed down to the dungeons for potions with the Slytherins.

"Looks like the attention whore is back to her regular golden girl status." snapped Pansy from where she was standing with the Slytherins. Harriet felt her blood pressure rise but decided to ignore Pansy.

"Tell me, Potter, to beat a dragon does regular training involve working like a house elf for fat muggles, getting slapped around, and getting thrown in cupboards," Pansy called with cruelty. Crabbe, Goyle and Nott laughed. She saw Hermione, Ron and the rest of the Gryffindors bristle and Ron reached for his wand. Even some of the Slytherins, like Davis, Zabini and Greengrass were looking uncomfortable. Malfoy now had on what she was starting to call his blank mask and was looking off the side. It was a low blow, bringing home life into a conversation was generally a faux pas, but Harriet actually didn't feel that upset.

"Actually Pansy, training involves being naturally skilled at charms, having an IQ over ten, and being crack at quidditch, despite living in a cupboard. All that comes rather natural to me, but I am afraid you won't be able to recreate the magic, you know, with the whole IQ thing." Harriet smirked at Pansy. She was letting Pansy know that the Dursleys treatment of her could not be used as a weapon against her.

Pansy fumed.

"Crack at quidditch Potter? IQ over ten? Ha! What you did was all luck." Malfoy smirked. He had moved his eyes back over to her and had smirked in an amused way as soon as she fired back at Pansy.

"Oh, I don't know… I seem to have been regularly beating dragons on a broom for years now. Wouldn't you say so _Draco."_ She emphasized and drawled out his first name. She saw Malfoy flush pink at the mention of his two quidditch losses to her. The Gryffindors laughed beside her. It really did get to Malfoy that a girl was better than him at Quidditch.

"You can't win every time Potter, in the air or on the ground." Malfoy ground out.

"Care to test that theory?" She flicked her wrist and her wand shot out into her hand pointed down by her side. Malfoys eyes flickered to her wand, but he didn't make a move for his own. She heard most of the Gryffindors move out of the way and saw a lot of the Slytherins leave Malfoys side, clearing the area should spells be flung.

"All I'm saying Potter, is that you may want to take more care with the danger you hurl yourself into." He said snarkily, but she noticed that he was looking quite serious. He looked like he was trying to convey something.

"Is that a threat." She lifted her chin.

"Just a… friendly reminder." She was trying to figure out his hidden meaning when she just barely noticed a flick of a wand in her periphery.

"Densaugeo!" Pansy had yelled.

"Frunuculus!" Harriet yelled, equally as quick.

The spells ricocheted off each other in the air. Pansy's spell hit Hermione and Harriet's had hit Crabbe.

Boils started to erupt over Crabbe's face while Hermione's already slightly large front teeth started to grow.

The Slytherins and Gryffindors were in an uproar and everyone pulled out their wands. Chaos was about to erupt but was stopped by the banging of the potion classroom's door.

"ENOUGH! What is going on here?" Snape's authoritative voice yelled. Cold eyes surveying the crowd.

"Potter attacked me!" Pansy yelled.

"I did no such thing! Parkinson tried to curse me first and I responded!" Harriet called.

"She hit Crabbe!" Goyle yelled. Snape observed Crabbe's boil filled face.

"Hospital wing Mr Crabbe," Snape called.

"Pansy hit Hermione!" Ron gestured, pulling Hermione's hands out of the way to reveal teeth like a beaver.

Snape surveyed Hermione, "I see no difference."

Hermione who had already been whimpering in pain burst into tears and fled up the hall. Harriet seethed.

"It seems Ms Potter that after your attention seeking stunts were successful yesterday you believe that you are above the rules." Snape surveyed her coldly. "Fifty points from Gryffindor! And you will have detention tonight."

Harriet felt the blood pulsing in her temple. Pansy was smirking at her from beside Malfoy who had a carefully blank face. Snape was watching in anticipation to see if she would explode. She felt Ron put a hand on her shoulder and with its touch, she mustered some patience from deep within.

Snape seemed disappointed as he spun on his heel, his great cloak billowing, and returned to the classroom. The rest of the students filed into the room after him.

Ron gave her a look as he went to join his partner Seamus. She was left by herself for the potions lesson as Hermione had gone to the hospital wing. She decided that as an apology to Hermione she was going to take very detailed notes for the lesson.

"Alright quiet! Snape snapped. "Today we are going to be discussing warming potions. They are very useful in infections and hypothermia. They are the antidote to freezing charms and freezing potions. They also have many practical uses form insulation to incubation." His voiced reverberated around the dungeon.

"They can be mild to extreme in their actions. Now, what is the particular problem with brewing warming potions?"

Without Hermione in the class, there was no one to raise their hands instantly. Surprisingly, Harriet did know the answer to this, as she had spent an inordinate amount of time in the library with Hermione recently. Against her better judgement, she raised her hand.

Everyone looked a little surprised that she was volunteering information. Hermione wasn't in the class, so it was up to someone else, and if she was right, this was going to annoy Snape.

"Potter." He snapped.

"Warming potions need a magical source of warmth. Things like dragon spit, ashwinder scales, or erumphant clippings. Unfortunately, these ingredients are particularly volatile, and it can be a bit dangerous to brew these potions. The scars they leave are also magical burns and are therefore particularly difficult to fix" She said confidently.

Everyone turned to face Snape. He was grinding his jaw, his eyes narrowed further.

"Indeed… Potter is… surprisingly right. These potions tend to go wrong rather spectacularly when they do, and the more extreme ones can even take limbs. The scars they leave are permanent." Snape said turning back to the front and grabbed a box from the desk that rattled.

"We will be brewing the milder versions of this potion so there will be no loss of limbs today. However, the burns take a while to heal so we will be using a safety measure today." He said safety measure like he was offended by the very idea, and that if anyone screwed up they should face the consequence of disfigurement.

He turned back and gave the box to Greengrass that was in the farthest corner in the front. "Take one and pass it along."

"What I am handing out now is Lemuria Obsidian. It is not particularly rare, but I do not want to waste any. Does anyone know what it does?" This time Harriet wasn't feeling as confident, she had an idea, but couldn't remember if it was right. It must have shown on her face because Snape smirked.

"Potter! Seeing as how you are such an expert." Snape called. _Crap,_ she thought, _oh well may as well have a go._

"it…um… stops magic or absorbs it?" she said. Snape's scowl was all the answer she needed to know she had got it right. The box passed her, and she held it out for Malfoy to take to her right.

"Lemuria Obsidian can absorb all types of magic, from simple charms to the many dark spells, baring the Unforgivables. Magic cannot be cast upon it. It is, however, very brittle, so structures or protective gear are not very effective when made from it. You will be brewing with a piece of it beside you. If at anytime your potions start to boil violently or turns an orange colour, you will have ten seconds to get that rock into the potion. You will get a zero for the day, but you will still have your nose." Snape finished with a malicious stare.

He continued lecturing and Harriet kept her promise to be thorough with her notes. It was finally time to begin the potions and she began following the steps silently. It was quiet in the room as everyone focused on brewing. The only sounds were some whispers, chopping and stirring. She was so focused on her work that she barely noticed when Malfoy whisper from beside her to her right.

"Potter," he whispered urgently. "Longbottom!" He shot his eyes to just in front and to the left. She raised an eyebrow and looked.

Neville wasn't paying attention to his potion as his eyes were on his notes, but it was beginning to bubble and froth a very bright, dangerous orange colour. No one else had noticed, being too absorbed in their own potions.

She let out a yell of alarm and without further thought, she threw her stone. Her yell had attracted the attention of the class, and they watched her stone fly through the air and land in Neville's cauldron with surprising accuracy. The potion gave one final blurb of dangerous orange before it stopped bubbling and turned a concrete grey. There was a tense moment of silence and after a moment Neville turned and gave her a look of gratitude.

"LONGBOTTOM!" Snape yelled, making the entire class jump. Neville slumped down as Snape came over to berate him.

"Nice save Harry," Ron stated from the bench directly to her left. He gave her a grin and turned back to his potion. She smiled weakly but turned to look at Malfoy.

He had his attention back on his own potion. But she saw him look at her from the corner of his eye. She raised an eyebrow and he just smirked.

Malfoy had just helped her twice in the last week. First with the advice about the mask and now he had saved Neville. Malfoy was just acting too weird.

* * *

It was much later in the day that Hermione came back from the hospital wing. Harriet who was slumped in her bed and writing her essay sat up when she walked in.

"Hermione!" Harriet called. "Hermione I am so sorry about what happened, I didn't even think to shield, I just reacted," Harriet said despondently.

"Oh, that's okay Harry, I know you didn't mean for that to happen. I shouldn't have let Snape get to me like that. And I missed a lesson on top of it." Hermione sighed.

"About that, I brought all the notes from today." Harriet started rummaging for her notes. "Here they are. I was being really thorough as well."

Harriet stood up and walked over to Hermione. But stopped at the sight of Hermione's smile. Harriet blinked a few times.

"Hermione did you… did you change your teeth?"

"Umm… well, I may have let Madam Pomfrey fix them a bit more than was strictly necessary." Hermione smiled in a guilty but pleased fashion.

Harriet felt a mischievous grin spread across her own face. "Well well well… Hermione you sly dog you. For the record, you look really good."

Hermione blushed, "Thanks, Harry."

"Well I best get going," Harry sighed.

"What? Where are you going? I just got here," Hermione called.

"I got detention with Snape for flinging curses. He took fifty points as well. And of course, Pansy didn't get any kind of punishment." Harriet said while throwing her robe on again over her uniform.

"Ugh… Snape is so unfair. Fifty points for a frunuculus curse." Hermione added with a sympathetic look. Harriet paused before she left.

"Something… something weird happened with Malfoy recently. Can I talk about it with you later?" Harriet said. Hermione perked up frowning.

"He didn't make good on that threat, did he?"

"No. It's something different. Nothing life-threatening."

"Well, alright. But you tell me if he starts flinging more than unwitty quips." Hermione said seriously.

"Course 'Mione." Harriet smiled.

Harriet left then imagining the funeral march playing on her way down to the dungeon. She reached the door and knocked. After hearing 'enter' she opened the door and made her way up to the front of the room where Snape was marking papers at his desk. Without looking up he spoke.

"Place your wand on the desk Potter, you will be cleaning the tools at the sink… without magic. You may leave when you are done."

Harriet sighed but did ask, flicking her wrist to the release her wand from its holster. Snape did raise an eyebrow at that. She placed it gently on the desk in front of Snape, then walked over to the sink. She discarded her robe to keep it from getting wet, she also rolled up her sleeves and took out her hair tie to readjust her ponytail. When her hair was safely out of her face, she started at her tasks. This was something she could do, easy enough, this was just like dishes at the Dursleys.

For the next little bit, there was only the sound of scrubbing and the scratch of a quill. Harriet found her mind drifting with the repetitive task. She had wanted to spend her night trying to figure out the egg, but there was no way that she was going to be doing that tonight. There was a large pile cauldrons, scales, vials, pestles and knives to wash. So, she tried to think about the clue instead. What could that screech possibly mean? Perhaps it was actually a hag, but it didn't really make sense that they would use the same formula for the second task (i.e. get past/ fight dangerous creature). No this was about preparation and cunning, something that she had only recently learned the value of, she was more of an in the moment type of person.

She should have been paying more attention. She accidentally knocked the vial that held all the potion knives (which resembled scalpels) when she reached for the final cauldron. She saw the vial of knives teeter and tried to save it. The vial tilted and her hands got in the way. The result was a deep cut on the side of her hand. The knives were kept magically sharp and one of the first lessons in potions was proper blade handling, something she had not done at that moment.

Her startled gasp roused Snape, who she heard push back his chair and hurry over while saying something about being an irresponsible, clumsy, twit. The pain and Snape's looming figure put her into a protective mode. She flinched… violently when Snape reached for her.

There was a beat of silence when everyone was frozen. She had her face turned away and could only see his long pale fingers frozen while reaching for her still bleeding hand. She turned to face him more and took a chance to peer up at him. His face was impassive, but his eyes were burning as he looked at her.

Harriet felt vulnerable. Not only had she showed a weakness like that in front of her most hated Professor, who glorified in being in a position of authority, but now he was judging her reactions based on that damn Skeeter article. It was a horrible feeling that brought her closer to tears than anything else she had experienced in the last month, except for losing Ron of course.

He must have seen the reaction and he very slowly took her hand. He quickly distracted himself by looking at the wound. With his eyes finally off her, she managed to get control of her emotions welling up inside her. She hated to feel helpless.

He let go and walked calmly over to a cabinet behind his desk and took out a couple of potions. By the time he had come back over she had moved onto anger. He just had to witness that! It was mostly unreasonable anger at herself, but she felt better at taking it out on him. He was now standing in front of her again observing her furious glare. She cursed his height, as it was hard to glare at someone who stood so much taller than her.

"Your hand Potter." He said quietly holding out his own hand. She debated running. After a long moment, she placed her hand over top of his without touching. He raised his own to grab hers.

"This will sting," Snape said and with little fanfare, he dropped few drops of a brown potion onto the wound. Harriet bit the inside of her cheek so she didn't make a noise at the pain. After a few moments, she noticed that her wound was closing. He still had a hold of her hand.

"Did they hit you?" Snape asked while watching her slow closing wound. Harriet tried to rip her hand away from Snape, feeling her anger burn even hotter. Unfortunately, Snape had a good grip on her wrist.

"That is none of your business." She spat at him.

"Actually Potter, it is a teacher's business. Your head of house is planning an inquiry soon based on Skeeter's article, so you better get used to people asking. They were going to wait till the first task was over, so I would expect it to be soon." Snape added while gazing impassively at her.

That… was not good. She just didn't want to talk about.

"Why even bother?" She snapped while felling her anger and frustration grow. "It's all in the article… didn't you read it Professor? You can get all those juicy little details that you can use for your cutting remarks from there. But you should know, Sir. Quippy little remarks are not going to have quite the effect you want. I have long accepted what the Dursely's, and you for that matter, are. You are all just petty bullies! And none of what happened was my fault! I have bigger fish to fry." Her anger at Snape at that moment was immense because he had made her feel vulnerable, even if it was unintentional. Her anger made her bold and she had let it run her mouth. She had yelled the last bit in Snape's face, which was a very dangerous thing to do.

Reality caught up with her and she honestly just needed to get out. She wrenched her hand and managed to release it from his grasp this time. She made a desperate grab for her wand and her robe, then ran to the door. She cast one glance back as she left and saw him looking at her with a blank expression. Then she was gone.

She ran up to the Gryffindor's tower and didn't stop until she was face down in her bed. Hermione, Lavender and Parvati had sat up when she had run in.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Hermione asked.

She just shook her head. Oh, Merlin's saggy ball sack… Snape was going to KILL HER. She had just yelled in his face and called him a bully. Well, she hadn't really said anything that wasn't true, but Snape didn't care about that technicality. She really hated Mondays…


	9. Weird Week

Harriet had had one hell of a week. It was now Saturday evening, a week after the first task, and she was in the dorm by herself. She was looking at her solid golden egg. She was trying to use it to distract herself from the absolutely crazy week she had had. After the Monday detention with Snape, she thought her week would be less dramatic. She was wrong.

* * *

On Tuesday, Dobby had come back into her life. He was now working in Hogwarts and she was really happy for the brilliant elf. He had also brought along Winky. Poor Winky was not handling the transition into free elf very well. She marveled at the absolute dependence that the elf had to Mr. Crouch.

Winky had said that house elves not only serve their masters but also hold their master's secrets. She did wonder at what kind of secrets Mr. Crouch was holding. Then there was what Winky had said about Bagman.

" _Oh, Mr. Bagman is a bad wizard! Mr. Crouch is always been saying so!"_

It was a surprise that Crouch had bad blood with Bagman. While Mr. Bagman was not a very responsible man, he was generally likable and not evil. She sensed exasperation whenever Crouch and Bagman had a conversation, not outright dislike. Perhaps the fact that Mr. Crounch only told his house elf that he hated Bagman said more about Mr. Crouch than it did about Bagman.

Regardless she was happy that Dobby was close by. She felt like she had another true friend in the castle. She had spent nearly all Tuesday evening visiting the elf.

* * *

Then on Wednesday, there had been the inquisition.

She had been asked to come to the hospital wing on Wednesday afternoon, by Professor McGonagall. It was then that she knew that the questioning that Snape had warned her about was about to take place. She was feeling completely unprepared for the meeting, but at least she wasn't walking in blind.

She had walked into the hospital wing to be met by Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and two other women. One was tall and thin, with salt and pepper hair. She had the same no-nonsense look as Professor McGonagall, but the women had fierceness to her that McGonagall didn't, this was compounded by a long scar that ran up her cheek. The other was a large dark-skinned woman with close-cropped hair. The woman's smile upon seeing Harry was splitting and Harriet could tell that this woman just wanted to give out hugs.

Harriet was introduced to the two women. The salt and pepper hair woman was Auror Jean Murdoch, and cropped hair woman was Yolanda Jones who worked for Magical Children Welfare and Inheritance division at the Ministry. Harriet politely introduced herself, there was no reason to take her bad mood out on these women, although she felt kind of like she was facing the horntail again.

"Ooh, aren't you just sweet!" Mrs. Jones said. She was a slightly older woman and looked like she was about ten seconds away from pinching Harriet's cheeks. "Well let me tell you, missy! It gave me a heart attack to see you flying against that dragon a few days ago! But Merlin you are even smaller in person."

Harriet frowned. Dammit, she wasn't short!

"Perhaps we should keep on topic, Mrs. Jones," Auror Murdoch spoke firmly.

"Right you are Auror Murdoch," McGonagall spoke then. "Miss Potter, we have called you in here today to discuss Miss Skeeters article that has recently been published. We are very concerned with the allegations within the article and we want to see if there is something that can be done."

Harriets expression of distaste must have spoken volumes.

"Please Harriet, we are just concerned. And we would be remiss to not talk to you, to see if we can do something about the situation." Dumbledore spoke kindly but gravely.

She frowned at him then. "Would anything really change? You said that the blood wards were important for my protection. I still need my Aunt, so it doesn't really matter what we talk about." She normally would never have spoken to the Headmaster like this as she greatly respected the man, but these people trying to dig around in her life were making her testy. She saw a pained look flash across Dumbledores face.

"I am afraid that the problem lies with us Miss Potter," Mrs. Jones stepped forward. "Yes Dumbledore was the one to erect the blood wards around your Aunt, not many people would have had the skill or knowhow to erect such complicated wards, but this was done with the green light from our Department. The previous head of the department was extremely remiss in your case. At the time the war ended there were so many children displaced and it was much more chaotic, but as things calmed down, we never sent the regular check-ups to your residence, the blood wards were powerful and as such you were put on low priority for monitoring. Unlike some others who were orphaned or removed from their parents, you were with relatives and your mother's family knew about magic. As I said it was extremely remiss. The previous head was fired on Friday after the article came out, and he is facing an inquisition." Mrs. Jones appeared quite distressed. There was silence as Harriet absorbed the information.

"I will still have to go back, though won't I?" Harriet asked. Dumbledore sighed and the Auror scowled.

"I personally believe Miss Potter that you should never have to go back to those horrid Muggles." Auror Murdoch stated with a scowl. "And the Auror department would be happy to file charges on your behalf. I believe your Aunt and Uncle belong in prison Miss Potter, I could help you get them there."

Harriet blanched at the thought of Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia in Azkaban. They were petty people and what they did was wrong, but Harriet honestly found she didn't have the stomach to condemn them to that fate. She wasn't the only one who looked a bit distressed by the idea.

"However," Dumbledore cut in before Harriet could get more upset. "They are still her family and the blood wards are still important for her protection. There is also the matter of who would take custody of Miss Potter, should she be removed from the Dursleys. It may be that one of her friends would come forward to take her, but more likely the Ministry would keep her within her family. Sirius Black is her godfather and as such his closest Family has the highest claim on her, those being Andromeda Tonks and Narcissa Malfoy."

Harriet's jaw dropped at the implication. Lucius Malfoy having access to her was a HUGE red flag.

"The Malfoys are a very respected Family, that could provide well for the Girl-Who-Lived." Sniffed the Auror. "And do you honestly believe that the blood wards are still necessary Dumbledore. The war is over, no one wishes Miss Potter harm."

Harriet was kind of starting to get a feel for the sticky situation Dumbledore and herself were in. She was not an idiot and she knew that Voldemort was trying to make a move. She also did not delude herself that if the maniac did get his powers back that she was a match for him as a fourteen-year-old girl. She needed all the help that she could get! And she wasn't willing to give up her mothers sacrifice yet, nor the protection it provided. She shuddered as she remembered Quirrel try to wrap his hands around her neck. If she could have some protection from Voldemort with her blood then she had to use it.

"I am not pressing charges, and I am okay to stay with the Dursleys." Her voice interrupted the argument that was about to take place. The adults in the room all went quiet and stared at her.

McGonagall was frowning in concern along with Madam Pomfrey. Mrs. Jones was also looking confused. Auror Murdoch was scowling at her. Dumbledore looked relieved but sad.

"Miss Potter protecting those animals—" Auror Murdoch began but was interrupted again by Harriet.

"I am not protecting the Dursley's, I am protecting myself. I want the wards." She stated. She hoped she was doing the right thing, by trusting Dumbledore. Again, there was silence and Harriet just stared down Auror Murdoch. Mrs. Jones interrupted the staring contest.

"Well, if you are sure, love. But there needs to be some precautions in place and I am afraid that we need the whole story to do so." Mrs. Jones said softly. "We also want a full physical exam submitted to our records." She indicated Madam Pomfrey behind her.

The physical exam wasn't an issue, but she really didn't want to talk about it. But, she reasoned, it would even be nice to have some restriction on the Dursleys. Not that they did much to her anymore. They mostly had just ignored her since she had told them a wanted murderer was her Godfather. Matter of fact, they had mostly just ignored her since she had learned she was magic. Except for that time before second year when they had locked her in with bars on the windows.

That had sucked.

At the end of a physical and a long questioning session where they dug for details and Harriet spent the entire time grimacing, the Auror and Mrs. Jones left. McGonagall walked them out. She was left with Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore.

"Harriet may I have a word in my office," Dumbledore asked her. She nodded.

They walked quietly to Dumbledore's office. She got some curious looks as she walked beside Dumbledore. Finally, they reached the stone Gargoyle, and with the words 'Licorish wands' they were up in the interesting office.

She let her gaze wander as she made her way to a chair in front of the desk. She noticed a cabinet on the side where a soft blue glow was being emitted. She returned her gaze to Dumbledore after a moment.

"Harriet… I need to apologize for today. While I did not want it to happen, you were forced to make a difficult choice." Dumbledore looked sadly at her. "You were forced to choose to remain with your relatives for safety from an obscure threat over a chance to be adopted into a family that loved you, like the Weasleys. Although being adopted by the Weasleys was not a guarantee." Dumbledore sighed.

"I was surprised at how resolutely you decided, although I should not have been. You have always shown a remarkable ability to make smart decisions under pressure." Dumbledore smiled at her.

"The Dursleys aren't bad sir," she shrugged. "And besides, I know the truth, there is someone out there who wants me dead."

Dumbledore frowned. "Just because you were forced to choose the Dursleys as the lesser of two evils does not mean that you should make excuses for them Harriet. What they did was very wrong. And it is only the Durselys who are responsible for their maltreatment, not you, although I suspect you understand that due to your words earlier."

Harriet hung her head. Hearing this coming from Dumbledore was hard, but also surprisingly cathartic. She greatly respected the older, powerful wizard, and it was good to hear that he still respected her despite everything that had happened to her.

"I also feel incredibly negligent in leaving you with them in the first place. They were your relatives and provided you with safety, but I should know that sharing blood does not make a family. I wish that I had come to check on you myself. I admit that I left Mrs. Figg as a watchful eye, but I suspect that she never comprehended the true nature of your relationship with the Dursleys. The life of someone behind closed doors is difficult to guess. I know this may sound like an excuse, but I also had expected the Ministry to do their job." Here he sighed again and under his breath, he mumbled something that sounded like 'should stop being surprised by that too'

"When you came to Hogwarts, you were smaller and more mature than your peers, but you were happy within the walls and made friends so quickly that it assuaged most of my worries. I placed my worries over Voldemort over your mental wellbeing, especially because you faced him later that year. Still, the one that had to face the consequences of all these decisions was you, Harriet. I find myself asking your forgiveness for my choices then and forgiveness for today where I shifted the decision between your safety and happiness on to you." Dumbledore looked very sadly at her.

Harriet found herself a bit overwhelmed at the older wiser wizard asking for her forgiveness, and with that, she found most of her anger drain. What had happened in the past had happened and nothing could change that. But someone was acknowledging it and she felt that this was enough for her.

"It's okay," she smiled slightly at him. "I am happy to make decisions for myself. And I never blamed you or even the Ministry. I even understand why the Dursleys did what they did even if I hated it. The Durselys were scared of me because they don't understand magic. It seems to be the same thing from every side. Purebloods are prejudice of muggleborns and muggles are prejudice against wizards. Does it ever stop?"

Dumbledore was smiling sadly at her.

"There will always be prejudice, but it can be diminished and made less dangerous when people like you come into the world, Harriet. Someone who sees the faults on both sides and forgives them. The cycle cannot continue if someone stands in its way. But it is hard to do and only those with a great will can truly disrupt the cycle." Dumbledore looked at her with his eyes twinkling. "You are a very lovely mix of both your parents Harriet. You have your father's love of life and hair, and your mother's cunning and eyes. You also inherited both of their kindness and ability to accept those that are different. But may I say that you received your Mother's greatest ability, her willingness to forgive. It is a rare gift Harriet, and it can be a very powerful tool." Harriet ducked her head and smiled at the reference to her parents. She also felt a powerful wave of longing that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

There was a moment of quiet reflection on both their parts. She wondered if she could push Dumbledore for a bit of information.

"Honestly Sir, the decision to go back to the Dursleys was easy. I understand what's happening, Sirius and I have also talked about it. My scar is twinging and people like Bertha Jorkins are going missing, and there are other people here that I have been told not to trust," Said Harriet thinking of Sirius' warning about Karkaroff. "I just feel like I am missing information and I don't know how to protect myself." She said while imploring Dumbledore.

He sighed again. "You are right again Harriet, but I am not sure I can give you a satisfactory answer. You are correct that there is information missing. I have been having that problem myself, there are some blind spots in my vision that worry me. The most worrying sign of all comes from yourself actually. Your scar connects you to Voldemort and your dreams and connection show he grows stronger. I know that he plans to return, and he wishes you harm, but I do not know the details." Dumbledore frowned, closing his eyes and steepling his fingers.

"As for protecting yourself… I need you to know that I am doing everything in my power to keep you safe in this Tournament. But you are right that you need your own skills, for I am not omnipresent and able to predict everything. However, I believe that you are on the right path. You absorb information and store it, using it to build on what you know. Knowledge is the greatest advantage you can have Harriet, but the way that you are constantly practicing and going out of your way to learn new spells also helps greatly. On that note, may I congratulate you on your splendid _geminius momentum_ and summoning charm against the dragon. Not everyone could have summoned what they needed from so far away and even less have the patience to learn such illusions, it is an obscure and rarely used piece of magic." Dumbledore was smiling at her and she felt herself blush. However, Harriet was disappointed at the lack of information, but she did feel a bit reassured that she was doing the right thing.

"Now is there anything else that you want to talk to me about?" Dumbledore asked.

Harriet did have a couple of things, but she didn't know if she could talk about them. She didn't think she could talk to Dumbledore about her episode at detention with Snape. She had been in the wrong on that one by yelling at Snape, but she did kind of want some reassurance that Snape wouldn't curse her. Instead, she thought about something that Hermione had given to her yesterday.

It had been her drawing that she had done back in October. The one of the stretched grey man with the long fingers and white holes for eyes. The one that had worried Hermione and scared Ron. Hermione had promised to look into it, but she had not found anything within the Library. It had annoyed Hermione to no end. Hermione had come to the conclusion that it was Harriet's personal boogeyman of a sorts, but Harriet was not so sure. The man always appeared in her dreams with Voldemort. Her scar burned at the sight of him, and if there was anyone who may know the answer, it was the man in front of her. She slowly rummaged through her bag and pulled out the drawing.

"Sir… well in my dreams it is not only Voldemort. I also dream about this … creature or man? I accidentally drew him in October and Hermione tried to find information but couldn't really come up with anything. Would you mind taking a look?" She hesitantly handed over the folded paper.

Dumbledore's eyebrows had risen in that intrigued way and reached out for the paper. When he opened it, he froze and stared at the picture. There was a long minute of silence as she watched Dumbledore regard the picture.

"I cannot say that I recognize this… creature." Dumbledore had said slowly. "But I am recalling a reference that I read many years ago, something about white eyes and long fingers. I cannot remember it exactly, but I will see if I can find anything on it, is that okay?" Dumbledore asked handing the paper back while looking distracted, his eyes were in the past.

She nodded and stood up tucking the paper back into her bag.

"Oh, and one more thing before you leave Harriet," Dumbledore said and she paused. "Dinner has finished and in fact, it is almost curfew, it has been a very long day for you. Dobby!"

Dobby appeared beside Dumbledore's desk.

"You has called Dobby great Headmaster Dumbledore sir? Harriet Potter!" The little excited elf squealed when he saw her. Dobby was positively shaking with happiness. He launched himself at her and crushed his surprisingly strong arms around her mid-drift. Despite having the wind knocked out of her, she gave the elf a hug back. She was amused he was so happy to see her despite meeting her yesterday.

"What can I's be doing for the great headmaster and the great witch Harriet Potter." He said again stepping back.

"Dobby, Harriet here missed dinner due to my demands on her time. I would be remiss if she went without dinner tonight on my behalf. Would you please bring a plate of food to Harriet's dorm?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Whatever you have left over is fine Dobby, I am not super hungry." She interjected. She saw the elf's eyes get big and figured he was about to fix her a five-course dinner.

"Oh, of course, Sir, of course. It is the greatest of honors!" and with a pop, he disappeared.

"He is very fond of you, it is not appreciated by the general magical public, but having an elf as a friend is an exceptionally fortunate circumstance," Dumbledore said looking at her like she was something quite exceptional. "Now off to bed, I am sure Dobby already has much too much food waiting for you."

She had returned to her dorm and found that Dumbldores prediction came true when she uncovered a plate on her bedside table that probably belonged to Hagrid and was piled with food. Hermione and Ron were curious as to where she had been, and she had said she would tell them later. She didn't have the energy and she still had homework to finish.

* * *

On Thursday, her busiest day for classes, she was also exceptionally busy avoiding Snape. However, it seemed that Snape was trying to talk to her or give her another detention because whenever she turned a corner he seemed to be there. It took an exceptional amount of dodging to escape him and her erratic behavior had worried Hermione and Ron, who had started to constantly nag her about all that was going on.

She had spent the entire evening with Hagrid to avoid the great bat and her friends who had been annoying her. She would tell them eventually, but she was tired from the day. Hagrid and herself just ended up spending their time practicing with the crossbow. He had even got her a smaller one to practice with. She really felt herself relaxing as she went through the motions of notching bolts and taking aim. Getting a bullseye was a heady feeling. When she had returned to the dorm, she had fallen straight to sleep.

* * *

Finally, it was Friday and she had promised her friends that she would tell them every crazy thing that had happened that week. However, fate threw her another curveball

"Now attention class," Called McGonagall at the end of their morning transfiguration class. Ron and herself had been goofing off and were getting the stink eye from the strict professor. She quickly put her hands in her lap and tried to look innocent. McGonagall did not look fooled.

"Now… the Triward Tournament's main goal is to promote international cooperation. As a result, one aspect of the Tournament is the Yule Ball. It is a chance to… let your hair down… and for the schools to mingle. The ball takes place on Christmas evening and is open to those forth year and above, as well as any other students invited from younger years." Lavender and Parvati broke into giggles. The boys were looking a little white. Harriet felt a bit red at the implication of a ball. She had a flash of an image of the ball from the movie Cinderella, which she had watched in primary school.

"The dance starts at eight with a dinner, then the champions open the dance with a waltz -"

"WHAT!?" Harriet called, very alarmed from the back of the room, interrupting McGonagalls speech. Everyone spun to look at her. McGonagall looked at her in an annoyed manner.

"Yes, Miss Potter, you and your partner open the dance with a waltz. Mr. Bagman explained this when your name was called form the cup." McGonagall said impatiently.

Harriet felt herself turning white. She had been a bit too preoccupied to properly listen to Mr. Bagman that night.

"Partner?! Waltz?!" Harriet noticed that her voice was extremely high pitched, and her vision was going a little lopsided.

"Nope, no way! I am not going!" She was not interested in embarrassing herself in fornt of the whole school and besides, there was no one she really wanted to take to a ball. Her crush on Cedric she realised was just fascination with his looks.

"Oh yes, Miss Potter you are! It is your duty as a champion to set an example for interschool cooperation and you will not be embarrassing Gryffindor. Might I suggest you pick a partner who can waltz." She had her 'my word is law' look on her face that allowed for zero wiggle room. Hermione was looking worried but amused, Ron just looked horrified. She decided then that Ron was now her favourite friend.

"Well now that you are done disrupting. As I was saying, the champions will open the dance then the dance floor will be open to everyone… the Weird Sisters have been booked for the evening for your enjoyment." Harriet didn't know who the Weird Sisters were but most of the people in the class looked excited, even Ron.

"The ball will end at midnight. Now, this is not an excuse to go wild. Everyone will conduct themselves with decorum befitting Gryffindors!" Lavender and Parvati giggled again in a way that definitely undermined McGonagall's point.

They were excused after that and Harriet swayed as she stood, feeling queasy.

"Oh god, what am I going to do?" she moaned to her friends.

"I am not sure mate. I think you're doomed." Ron said melodramatically.

"Oh, stop it both of you! Harriet trust me, you're not going to have a problem." Hermione spoke. "You are champion and very pretty. You will be asked."

Harriet looked doubtful, especially considering how she had been treated by the school before this week.

But of course, Hermione had been right.

She was stopped three times that afternoon, by people she barely knew. The first was a third year from Hufflepuff. She had been too shocked and had hurriedly blurted out no and ran!

Next had come a seventh year Hufflepuff. She recognized him because he was a beater for their quidditch team. He stood at six feet five and had an absurd amount of muscle, he looked like he could lift her up with one hand. His face was unfortunately as bulky as his body, with a heavy brow and large nose. She had squeaked out a 'sorry no thank you' when he asked and waited to be squished. Fortunately, he just smiled kindly and said it was okay, so it wasn't that bad.

Next had been the worst by far, a Ravenclaw sixth year prefect had caught her before dinner. He had a Percy-like self-importance about him, which made him quite arrogant and this was not helped by the fact that he had a rather bad case of acne. When she had said 'sorry no' he had said 'really I don't think you could find better,' shot her a glare and stalked off to his table looking extremely put out. Harriet had been red for the entire dinner and had barely eaten. Shortly after dinner, she had hidden in her dorm.

And now it was Saturday and she had been in the tower since. Hermione was kindly bringing her food. In fact, she had only left the dorm earlier that day to talk with Ron and Hermione about everything that had happened that week in Ron's room.

Ron was focused on the fact that she had screamed at Snape and had been actively avoiding him all week. "He had no right to do that!" Ron had said. "And you're right! He is just a bully! But Merlin mate, what is he going to do on Monday," he said looking as horrified as she felt.

Hermione was way more concerned with what had happened on Wednesday. She was upset about the talk she had had to have with the government officials.

"That Mrs Jones was right. Dumbledore is Chief Warlock for the Wizemegot and on the council for the International Confederation of Wizards, as well as being in the position of Headmaster of the most prestigious magic school in the world. He trusted his government to make sure you were alright after he had laid down a solid foundation of wards. I can't believe that department was so incredibly negligent!"

They had both been amazed when she had relayed the conversation she had had with Dumbledore. Hermione had got teary-eyed when she told them of how Dumbledore had apologised and asked for forgiveness from her. They had both paid attention though when he told them she had tried to ask for more information. Ron cursed and Hermione gave a choked sob when she told them how Dumbledore had explicitly said that Voldemort was trying to rise and wished to kill her. It was a possibility when Harriet had warned them, but it was almost a certainty when Dumbledore voiced it.

What had followed was a long five minutes of silence as everyone absorbed the implications. When she had finally kept talking and told them about how Dumbledore had told her to prepare, Hermione had jumped up like she wanted to race off to the library. She had sat down and jumped up again all throughout the rest of Harriet's story. When Harriet was finished, Hermione already had a plan.

"Alright, we need more information. Ron, write to your dad and Percy. We need information about Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman, but we have to be subtle, so let us read your letters before you send them. Winky gave us a clue with her ramblings, whether or not it is helpful we have to try. We also have to find out about Karkaroff's trial. Maybe we should search the Daily Prophit archive in the library. We also need a list of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters, we have to know thy enemy! That will be my job. I will also get a list of more spells that we can try. We will definitely need a varied base. Harriet, you have to focus on your egg. You must get through this Tournament and this is your most immediate concern. Alright, we all have our jobs, lets go." Hermione, who had been pacing as she rattled orders off like a general preparing for war, spun on her heel to face them. It was to meet the rather flabbergasted faces of her friends.

"Well, snap to!" she said again. Ron and Harriet jumped up and Hermione grabbed her arm to deposit her back in their room while yelling at Ron to get writing.

So now she was in her room in the evening still contemplating her egg. Fortunately, the heavy egg was providing a good distraction. She had pried it open a few more times and tried her hardest to listen to the screeching wails. But it had started to give her a headache, so she had ditched that method. She had written a letter to Remus Lupin. He was their best DADA professor and a friend of her parents, so maybe he could give her some idea. She did her upmost to describe the screech in detail and asked him to talk about anything that was capable of screeching from curses to creatures. She would have to send it tomorrow, she would also be hitting the books tomorrow to try and discover an answer to the clue. Regardless she saw herself being in the library a lot for the next while.


	10. Business deals

Harriet was eternally grateful to Hermione for giving her constant tasks in the next few weeks. When she wasn't scouring books to solve the clue of the egg, she was practicing all kinds of spells with Ron and Hermione. Ron really picked up hexes quick and Harriet found herself being exceptionally good at shield charms and speedy transfigurations. Hermione was just good at everything. It was also beginning to show in their classwork as she had surprised both Moody and McGonagall on occasion.

The best part of it was that it kept her away from the drama that was the Yule Ball. And boy was there drama.

She got all the gossip from Parvati and Lavender at night. Who was going with who, who had dumped who to go with someone else, and what the decorations would look like. Rumors were rampant and at the center of a lot of them were the champions, and who were going to be their dates.

It was already a well-known fact that Harriet was in hiding to try and make it harder for boys to ask her. Some took this as a challenge and others were starting to realize the poor Gryffindor was painfully shy. According to rumors, Fleur was going with at least ten different students at the moment and she had been asked by fifty boys. It wasn't true but everyone seemed to have a rumor about the beautiful French Champion. Harriet was awed and jealous at the older girl's poise when she had seen Fleur be asked out in the hall and then dish out the subsequent rejection like a pro with zero awkwardness. Harriet wished she had that charm but was happy for her invisibility cloak in the meantime. Cedric was still up in the air but bets were being hedged on Cho Chang and Amelia Waters. Harriet wasn't going to lie and say that she wouldn't go if Cedric asked her, she would be pretty excited, but Cedric barely spared her a glance beside a friendly wave so her hope was slim. Krum was a complete mystery, but groups of girls would follow him any time he entered the castle, and everyone was watching his movements like a hawk.

Surprisingly Harriet was the one who found out first who Krum would be going with.

It was Thursday and Harriet was hiding in the library with Hermione at lunch. Definitely not willing to brave the crowds because boys were still trying to catch her. She had especially been avoiding Justin Flinch-Fletchley because he had been trying to corner her after Herbology. She wasn't really interested in Justin at all and didn't want to have to turn down the sometimes pompous boy.

Krum had then walked into the library as he did often. It greatly annoyed Hermione because it meant his twittering and very loud fan club would not be far behind. Surprisingly he didn't take a seat at a table like he normally would and instead came over to them.

"Good afternoon Potter." He had said politely to her, with a small smile. Harriet blinked owlishly up at him a few times. This was the most words Krum had ever said to her.

"Um… hi Krum," Harriet said hesitantly. "How are you?"

"I am vell," he said like they were particularly chummy, and they had this conversation every other day. "Vould you introduce me to your friend?"

Harriet looked over at Hermione who was also looking up at Krum with big eyes.

"Er… right. Of course. Krum this is my best friend Hermione, and Hermione this is Victor Krum." Harriet obliged.

Hermione seemed to shake her self out of her stupor and held out her hand to shake. To Hermione and Harriet surprise, Krum turned her hand gently and placed a feather light kiss on the knuckles which he bent over.

Harriet's jaw dropped and Hermione's face went fire hydrant red.

"Herme-own-ninny, I see you here ovten. You are very studios." His heavy accent butchered Hermione's name, but he had a soft smile that created butterflies in the girl's stomachs.

When Hermione didn't look capable of answering Harriet stepped up to the plate.

"Yes, Hermione is the smartest person in our year. The smartest in any year if you ask me." Harriet said with a big smile on her face at being able to sing friend's praises. Krum gave Hermione another encouraging smile.

"Ah… well… I don't…I mean not really…I'm just…like books." Hermione stuttered over herself.

"Herme-own-ninny, do you have a date to thee ball?" Krum asked Hermione. Hermione again was just staring, so Harriet aimed a kick under the table.

"Ouch! I mean…No I don't… not yet… no one has…" Hermione was blushing again. Harriet was having the time of her life.

"Vould you do me thee honor of accompanying me?" Krum asked with another smile.

Hermione looked was biting her lip and she glanced at Harriet to see if it was okay. Harriet was barely containing her smile and urged her silently with a nod.

"Umm… yes… that would be really nice." Hermione said with a shy glance at Krum. Krum smiled and said he would see them later, then he left. There was silence at the table as Hermione tried to turn her attention to her books. Harriet just sported a shit eating grin and stared at her.

Finally, Hermione looked over at her and at seeing her grin both girls burst into a fit of giggles. Neither were real gigglers but sometimes the situation calls for giggling.

* * *

Having Hermione get a date earlier in the day made Harriet realize that she had to stop hiding and go get a date. She made a discreet inquiry with Ron about the boys in Gryffindor.

"Well Seamus is going with Lavender, Dean doesn't have anyone yet, neither do I for that matter! And Neville I think is still free. Not sure about the other grades besides knowing neither of my brothers got one… at least I don't think." Ron said.

"Oh, um, well, you don't want to go with me do you?" she asked Ron. She didn't want to go with Ron as she felt it would just be awkward, but he had seemed upset when he said he didn't have a date so she had to ask.

"Er... um... well... ah, no offense Harry but... I mean I'll go if you don't have someone..." Ron said with a grimace.

"Nah, it's okay. It would be way too awkward," she said in relief.

"Yeah, it would be like going with Ginny," Ron laughed. "Problem is you need someone who can actually dance. Waltzing is a pureblood fashion. Especially the hoity-toity purebloods. Neville is the only one, besides you and Patil, who comes from some old rich family in Gryffindor, but between you and me, even if Neville was taught how to waltz I don't know how graceful he would be." Ron said with a grimace.

As if to emphasize Ron's point, at that very moment Neville came through the portrait hole, tripped on the ledge and landed face first onto the carpet. Harriet just hung her head.

"So what your saying is I pretty much have to ask a Slytherin." She grimaced.

"My sincerest condolences…" Ron said in his most somber mocking tone.

* * *

It turned out that she didn't have to ask a Slytherin cause a Slytherin asked her.

It was Monday, two weeks after the Snape detention incident.

Last week had been awkward throughout the entire lesson, and after Snape had asked her to stay after class.

Her nerves were fluttering as the lesson came to a close and everyone packed up and left without her. She walked up to Snape's desk fully expecting a verbal lashing or being cursed into oblivion. Surprisingly, none of those happened.

"Is there something you wish to say," Snape drawled in his bored tone. Harriet had just awkwardly cleared her throat.

"I am sorry for yelling," Harriet said softly. Snape just regarded her with his impassive face, he knew she was not apologizing for what she had said, just how it was said. It seemed to be enough.

"Apology accepted… And I am sorry for startling you." Snape spoke evenly. If she wasn't mistaken his eyes had softened with the last statement. She could only stare in surprise.

"That being said, you did not complete your detention. You have one tonight with Flitwick. Seven o'clock in the charms classroom." Snape said back to his regular snarky self.

All in all, it had turned out better than she had hoped. He didn't try to curse her at least. And now here she was again waiting for double potions to begin.

There did seem, however, to be a bit of trouble in paradise over in the Slytherin side of the hallway. Zabini and Malfoy were hissing at each other farther away from the other Slytherins. Whatever was happening, Zabini looked mad and Malfoy looked indifferent and cold.

She had never actually seen Zabini with any other emotion than the classic Sarcastic Slytherin Sneer, as she liked to call it. However, she did appreciate that Zabini seemed to find enjoyment whenever she verbally put down Parkinson, he was always silently laughing.

Malfoy waved his hand flippantly in Zabini's face and walked back over to where the other Slytherins were standing. Malfoy went to stand beside Greengrass and she looked up and smiled coquettishly at him. Harriet felt a bit annoyed at such blatant flirting, but that was nothing on the look that Pansy was throwing at Greengrass. If looks could kill…

Surprisingly, Malfoy turned slightly and looked at her, raising a brow and smirking. She felt herself get annoyed by the smarmy bastard. She looked away quickly but surprisingly found her gaze drawn to Zabini. He had his head cocked and was giving her an appraisal.

Zabini's consideration was ended when Snape came then and called the class in. Nothing eventful occurred, Harriet didn't even have a point docked for generally existing like she usually did. Finally, after a grueling two hours, they were done and heading up to the great hall for lunch. But she was stopped before she could make it.

"Potter," called someone from behind her. She turned and found Zabini standing a couple steps below her.

"May I have a word?" he asked politely and with a small charming smile. Ron and Hermione had turned and were looking at Zabini as well. She could already see Ron bristling in that 'Slytherin equals evil' kind of way and Hermione had also narrowed her eyes.

"Yes," Harriet answered calmly, she had an idea of what was about to happen and instead of being embarrassed or shy like she was previously, she found herself more intrigued. "You guys go ahead." She said to Ron and Hermione.

They both gave her a look like she was mental.

"Harry, we can't leave you! It's a Slytherin!" Ron said. Harriet just rolled her eyes.

"Relax Ron, I can handle myself. I'll be along in a minute." She said.

They looked worried but eventually, they left her. Ron casting some glares at Zabini. Although Zabini just looked amused.

"What can I do for you?" Harriet asked.

"Well I was thinking more along the lines of what we could do for each other," he said with a smile. "I would like for you to go to the Yule Ball with me. I know that you haven't been happy with the attention, and if you had a date you wouldn't have to hide the majority of the day from your adoring public. I also know you are looking for a partner that can help you with the opening waltz, and I happen to be an excellent dancer."

Yes, this she could deal with. This was a business transaction, not reciprocating a crush.

"Won't the other Slytherins shun you for daring to talk to the Gryffindor nutter?" She asked.

"I have never put much stock in such rumors, I know your wit is too cunning to be completely crazy. And besides, you very soundly put rest to most of the trash talking about you when you completely outflew a dragon." He waved his hand flippantly.

She considered him for a moment. Although this was business, she had always noticed that he was a handsome boy, if almost too pretty. He had olive skin and sculpted features. His lashes were long and surrounded espresso brown eyes. His dark brown waves were always styled nicely and he was taller than her. Not that he had to try that hard. He would make a handsome date at the very least. The biggest plus besides the fact that he could waltz was he had always hidden his smiles when she was being witty at the expense of his Slytherin friends. She had no doubt that his loyalties lied with the snakes, but she suspected he was a fan of her witty dark humor.

"Truth Zabini. What are you hoping to get out of this?" she asked. He seemed to consider her for a moment.

"Honestly, I am trying to get back at someone and annoy them. But it doesn't hurt that I will have a pretty date, get to sit at the high table, and meet all the ministry officials and other champions. It will be an entertaining evening." He said with another lazy shrug, eyeing her.

"Hmm… well alright but on one condition. You have to meet with me a few times before this stupid ball to teach me how to waltz. I do NOT want my first-time dancing to be in front of the entire school where I will probably trip over my own feet" she said.

"That is reasonable and probably wise, but you don't have to worry I am a good lead and would not let you trip." He said with an easy confidence that Harriet actually felt reassured by.

"I have a condition of my own," he added. "No hiding that we are going together. If people ask, you tell them the truth." He said with a smirk.

"Very well, And I have your word you won't back out last minute." She narrowed her eyes.

"If I have your word as well." Zabini countered. She reached out her hand and Zabini shook it. It was a sealed agreement and while it was no wizard vow, magic dictated that the consequences would not be pretty should one of them break it.

"Pleasure doing business with you Zabini," she smiled in a self-satisfied way.

"Please call me Blaise," he smiled at her. "Can I call you Harriet?"

They had turned to continue walking to the great hall and he fell in step beside her.

"Yep, that's fine. When are we going to meet?" She asked.

"Well we have just less than two weeks, how about Wednesday, Friday, next Monday and the following Wednesday if I feel you need it," Blaise smirked, looking like he was really enjoying himself. They were just approaching the great hall's double doors.

"Sounds good, we can use an empty classroom in the charms corridor. Fine with eight o'clock?" she asked as they walked through the double doors together.

His smirk grew even wider when he saw that many in the great hall were turning to look at them.

"Sounds perfect, I will see you there Harriet." He said again in that lazy unaffected way. He turned towards the Slytherin table and down to where the gawking Slytherin fourth years sat. She noticed that Malfoy, in particular, had his eyes narrowed at Blaise. Probably thinking he was selling secrets to Harriet or some other such nonsense

 _Paranoid ponce!_ She turned to her own table where most of the Gryffindors were watching her. She sat across from Ron and beside Hermione. But Lavender was across from Hermione and she didn't hesitate to strike.

"Harriet, what was that about? Why were you talking to Zabini?" Eyes shining in that 'I'm going to get the juicy gossip' kind of way. Well no going back now, she had made a promise.

"He asked me to the Yule Ball." She responded and started nonchalantly filling her plate. Lavender and Parvati gasped, while the boys exchanged looks, and Hermione looked intrigued.

"Aaannndddd…" Lavender prompted.

"I said yes," she said with a shrug. Ron's face was one of horror, which was reflected by the rest of the boys. Dean, in particular, looked mad. The girls, however, were looking intrigued.

"OOOHHHH!" Lavender squealed. It took all of a minute for the news to spread down the Gryffindor table, it took two minutes for the information to jump to the Hufflepuff table and spread along, where it took one more minute for the gossip to reach the Ravenclaw table. It took a bit longer for the hissing to reach the Slytherin table but the whole school knew after seven minutes. Harriet thought that it was actually kind of impressive how fast news traveled.

"Really Harry, a Slytherin?" Ron moaned. She just shrugged.

"Well does he know how to waltz?" Hermione asked looking more interested by the idea than disgusted. Harriet knew where she was coming from. Today was the longest and only conversation she had ever had with the Zabini. She knew next to nothing about him. He was not really popular, preferring to live quietly and was known more for being friends with Malfoy. She would never have pictured them going to the ball together.

"Apparently yes, and he agreed to teach me beforehand." She said thankfully. Hermione just nodded looking thoughtful.

"Oooohhh, Harry I didn't realize you liked the dark and mysterious type," Lavender giggled. "Oh, it like a forbidden romance too, cause he's Slytherin and your Gryffindor. So romantic!"

Harriet just gave her an exasperated look. She chanced a glance over at the Slytherin table to see Zabini smirking as he was questioned. She also noticed that Malfoy was beside him and looked absolutely livid. Was Malfoy who he was trying to annoy?

She had gone to her dancing lessons on Wednesday, accompanied by Hermione. Hermione said it was to keep an eye on Blaise, but Harriet suspected that she was coming to watch and take notes, she was also dancing the opening waltz. Blaise had ignored her for the most part.

Blaise had been surprisingly patient with her. He taught by doing, which she greatly appreciated. And he led her slowly through the steps until they were up to speed and keeping time with the music. Blaise had got a record player from who knows where.

She found, that while she thought him pretty conceited and a bit of a snob, his sarcastic anecdotes and biting commentary on Hogwarts goings-on was amusing. He also took great pleasure in telling her about the absolute uproar he had wrought in the dungeons.

Some thought it was brilliant that he had managed to snag the Gryffindor princess (his words), while others thought he was crazy. She could tell she kept him entertained as well with quippy observations to what he told her.

"I hope that whoever it was that you were trying to annoy is good and riled." She had said after they had gotten into a tempo. It was part of the teaching. Don't think about the steps, just do them he had said.

"Oh yes, they wanted to skin me alive." He said like this was great news.

"Do mind yourself though, would be terribly inconvenient if my date looked like a mummy on the night of the ball." She said.

"I don't think bandages would impede my movement that much." He had quipped back.

"True! Then feel free to be skinned. So long as you can dance." She had told him in a courteous tone.

She found that she didn't really mind Blaise at all.

* * *

True salvation came on Saturday, one week till the Yule Ball

She had sent Hedwig off with her letter to Remus nearly two weeks ago, asking for all of the ex-professors' knowledge. Finally, Hedwig returned with a very thick letter. She thanked her clever bird and slipped the letter into her pocket. She had cast significant glances at Ron and Hermione, and they knew that they needed to hurry up and finish breakfast.

They made their way to the library and took the corner table. It offered the most privacy. Harriet opened the letter and lay the multiple pages of parchment out flat, she read through the letter with Ron and Hermione reading over her shoulder.

There was a lot of information. He mentioned everything from Thunderbirds to a plant called screeching Ivy. He mentioned spells that could make you yell but he didn't know any that made you screech. Remus seemed to think that it was most likely a banshee and had given her advice on how to handle it. Hermione was already formulating a plan to tackle a banshee. But Harriet's eyes were stuck on one sentence.

 _… Kappas can be screechy depending on the shape that they take, grindylows as well could technically be screechy. Mermish also is very harsh out of the water, but really nice submerged. There are also the …_

"Hermione, Ron, are there mermaids in the black lake?" She asked it made more sense than a banshee.

"Mermaids? I have no idea." Hermione looked bewildered.

"Of course there are," Ron said. The girls just looked at him.

"Well I mean its one of those legends you just hear about Hogwarts as you're growing up. The centaurs and beast in the forest and the mermaids and squid in the lake." Ron said with a shrug.

"You never see them though because they are shy creatures, and we don't know a ton about their culture" Ron added. Seeing their startled looks he gave them an annoyed look.

"What!? I know things." Ron said.

"Right, sorry mate! Just surprised you know what the word culture is." Harriet added.

"OI!"

"Why are you asking though Harry?" Hermione asked.

"This is a clue. It would be a pretty stupid clue if it was a banshee and they literally gave us an egg that screamed at us." Harriet reasoned. "This is about preparation and even if it was a Banshee, I wouldn't need more time to tackle it than a dragon."

"So you think the clue is more complex," Ron added.

"Exactly, it would make sense wouldn't if it was a language with an actual hint?" Harriet said excitedly.

"There is an easy test. We submerge the egg and see if you hear anything." Hermione said reasonably.

"But where do you do to do that? The dorm sinks aren't going to fit that egg and your big head." Ron teased, she stuck out her tongue at him.

"Well, you could use the prefect's bath." Said Hermione. "But there is a password and you are definitely not allowed to use it."

"Looks like it's time to break out the map and the cloak," Harriet said with a cheeky grin. Ron whooped and Hermione groaned.

It had gone very smoothly if she would say so herself. She had waited to the Sunday to sneak into the prefect's bathroom and did some reconnaissance by running it by the Weasley twins. They had been very helpful after she had agreed to lend them the maurader's map and her cloak for one night. The mischievous grins they had sported would have forced McGonagall to put them into pre-detention for crimes to be committed.

There had been one awkward moment. When she was undressing to get into the bath.

"Ooooh is that the famous scar?" A voice had echoed around the bathroom.

She had jumped violently and desperately tried to cover up. She had relaxed however when she saw that it was Myrtle. The ghost and herself got on pretty well. She thought it was because she was one of the only people to actually listen to the dead girl. She had found out a while ago that if you could get past the wailing and the moaning then the ghost was an excellent source of information and her bathroom was a good place to go if you didn't want to be disturbed.

"Merlin Myrtle! You scared me. Do you spy on these baths often?' She asked slightly horrified. To her increasing horror, Myrtle just giggled.

"Well, I can't help it. And some of the perfect boys are really dashing" Another inane giggle. "You, however, really don't have much in the way of curves at all."

Harriet could only groan. Never the less she had got her clue and proven herself right about the Mermaids.

 _Come seek us where our voices sound,_

 _We cannot sing above the ground._

 _And while you're searching, ponder this:_

 _We have taken what you sorely miss._

 _An Hour long you'll have to look,_

 _And to recover what we took._

 _But past an hour- the prospect's black;_

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

Myrtle had also confirmed the theory about the black lake.

"Oh yes! I sometimes get flushed down into the lake when I am not paying attention. They never welcome me and try to chase me off with their silly sticks," Mrytle moaned, in her 'woe is me' voice.

In the end, it had been a successful mission. And now she had her task.

Learn how to breathe underwater for an hour.


	11. The Yule Ball

Now that they had a goal that they needed to accomplish, Hermione was in her element. Her and Hermione were scouring through books trying to find not only a way to breath underwater for an hour but also any water-based charms that they could find.

Ron, however, was having his own issues. He didn't have a date to the ball and it was five days away. He had severely offended Hermione that morning when he presumed that she wouldn't have a date and had asked her as a last resort. Now he was on her blacklist. While Harriet didn't condone his actions, she felt she should try to make him see the error of his ways and help him find a date.

"Ugh, I just don't understand why they move in packs! You're a girl, how do you explain this behavior!" he asked her, looking at her like it was her fault.

"It's so that when we find wounded prey we can work as a unit to kill them and feast on the carcass while fending off scavengers," she told him with a sardonic eyebrow lift. "Our favorite meal is weak-willed teenaged boys who won't grow a backbone to ask a girl out."

Ron just scowled at her and muttered something that sounded like 'knew it'. She did help him though, she found out from Parvati that her twin sister didn't have a date to the ball.

Padma was really pretty and she told Ron so.

He agreed that it was his best bet, so with some rather skillful diversion tactics from Harriet, Ron managed to ask Padma to the ball. She was the best wing woman in the world! She did feel a bit sorry for Padma though, Ron looked barely enthusiastic about asking her, as he was still put out by Hermione telling him off and not revealing who she was going with. She was going to have to smack some sense into that boy someday.

With the ball fast approaching the entire school was in a hyper-excited state. Even Harriet was feeling the excitement for Christmas and she was even thinking that it would be nice to attend a party. As a result, the research for the second task was being put on hold for another kind of research. But unfortunately, there was not an easy-to-use guide on the subject, much to Hermione's disdain. Hermione and Harriet found themselves in a position that they weren't used, they didn't have the necessary information or skills for the upcoming task.

It was universally acknowledged that Hermione was academically extraordinary, and it was generally perceived that Harriet was self-sufficient with some excellent street smarts along with mostly good grades.

Knowledge on how to be girly, well, in that they were sorely lacking.

Hermione didn't care much for those things and tended to be comfortable as she was. Her image was that of the brainy girl and she was happy with that.

If Harriet had grown up different, she may have taken more time with her appearance as a whole. As it was, she had never been taught how to care for herself. She had always had to make her own way in life. The reason that she had started playing guitar on the street was to make just a little bit of money to buy some basic things like underwear that hadn't previously been Dudleys (ugh!). As such, for her, it was practicality over style, and she found herself out of her depth when trying to be dress to her attributes.

Fortunately, they lived with the experts.

Parvati and Lavender were more than willing to help them, saying they would have a whole girl's day. They had even been discussing how best to style hers and Hermione's hair, as well as what they were going to do with their own.

Harriet surprised herself by feeling a bit jealous of the other girls know how. Maybe it was time to change her style. She had money, she didn't need all her old threadbare hand-me-downs from Petunia and Dudley. She could splurge on some clothes that fit, and maybe some mascara. She had enjoyed the way it had made her eyes pop when she wore it for the first task.

Hermione and Harriet weren't the only ones feeling a bit out of their depth though.

She was startled badly when she heard Ron yell for her loudly up the girl's staircase. He sounded incredibly distressed, so she jumped up quickly to see what was wrong.

Ron was at the bottom of the staircase looking pale with two high spots of red on his cheeks. When he saw her, he grabbed her and started to drag him over to the boy's dormitory. She followed curiously, her worry mostly abated when she saw he was physically okay.

She was dragged into his dorm and found Dean and Seamus on one bed snickering and Neville on his bed with his face hidden behind a book, _Magical Mediterranean Water plants and their Properties,_ but his shoulders seemed to be shaking slightly.

"Alright, what's the emergency?" She asked.

"This! This is the emergency!" Ron stated while dramatically pulling a piece of fabric off his bed and holding it in front of him like you would when deciding whether to try something on.

It was a horrible dirty maroon colour and had a lot of frills. It took her a moment to realize what it was.

"Oh!... Are those…." She asked tentatively, while Seamus and Dean started chortling harder.

"My dress robes…" said Ron absolutely miserable.

"Oh… HAHAHAHAHA" Harriet had also broken down into great peals of laughter, joined again by the rest of the boys.

"HARRY! Help me!" He implored while smacking her with the ugly fabric.

"Alright, alright! Calm down!" she said while wiping her eyes. "I think we can fix this." Ron just looked immensely grateful.

A couple hours later it was just her and Ron in the room. It had taken some careful cutting and a very handy dyeing potion, but the robes were looking better. There was not much she could do for the ruffles, but she had managed to get rid of much of the lace trims without the edges looking too rough. It also looked immensely better as a solid black as opposed to the ugly maroon. But seeing Ron in his dress robes reminded her of something important. She had not tried on her dress yet!

She knew it was green and she remembered seeing tuile but not much else. Mrs. Weasley had given her the box to pack with her stuff this summer. She had taken Harriet's money and bought it without Harriet's council. She had only told Harriet that she would be needing it and that it would go well with her eyes. But after seeing what Mrs. Weasley had got Ron, she was a bit worried.

Her worried state was brought to a halt by the arrival of Hedwig at the window. It was a letter from Percy in response to their queries about Mr. Crouch.

Ron had received a letter from his father about Ludo Bagman. It did not have any pertinent information. Just that Bagman was an alright bloke, if not a tad too irresponsible to be head of a department. The lack of information had prompted them to start digging deeper into the archives of Daily Prophets in the library, but they had only just begun.

They had asked Percy about Mr. Crouch in a carefully worded letter. And now his response had arrived.

There was some news of interest. Percy would be taking Mr. Crouch's seat as a Ministry representative at the Yule Ball. Mr. Crouch had been feeling sick for the past month and had started to send in instructions via letters.

"It must be serious if Mr, Crouch is taking time off" Harriet mused.

It also contained the glowing praise from Percy for Mr. Crouch. Saying that Mr. Crouch's record was spotless, he was an incredibly responsible department head, and that he had done a lot during the post-war trials. He had used to be head of Magical Law enforcement.

"A lot of this is leading back to the trials huh?" Ron pondered. "Hermione said that it was important to know who was tried and found innocent, like Karkaroff. And now we learn that it was Crouch doing the trying. Perhaps even Bagman had a run in with Crouch in the past because of what Winky was saying."

Ron had a good point.

She went back to her dorm to tell Hermione about the letter, as Hermione and Ron were still at odds. But she found the room empty, so she decided to wait and try on her dress.

As she pulled it out of the box she found it to be much bigger than she imagined. There was quite a bit of tuile and she was wondering why Mrs. Weasley would buy her such a princess dress. Without any other option, she tried it on.

It turned out Mrs. Weasly did know what she was doing cause the dress actually looked quite nice.

It was a bit poofier than she would have picked out for herself but it wasn't overly so.

The dress was A-line, with a shimmery emerald green tuile for the skirt and silk-like material for the top. The skirt was nipped in at the waist and fanned out in the tuile folds. The fabric of the skirt caught the light when she moved in a really nice way and she realized the fabric had golden sparkles in it. The top was a lovely emerald green as well and shiny with the same gold highlight woven in. It was a zip up at the back and was even a little snug around the chest, but at least she knew it wouldn't be going anywhere. The top of the dress looked like an elegantly draped scarf. It folded over from the top of the high bodice and hung down in front of her chest then wrapped around her upper arms and shoulders, meeting again in the back in horizontal folds. It was a really nice effect. By adding fabric around where her breast should be it gave the illusion that there was something there, and with the skirt fanning out from the waist, she looked like she had real curves! It was also comfortable and the amount of fabric kept the entire dress quite modest.

It made her look feminine and was the perfect mix of girly and grown-up for a fourteen-year-old. It showed off her collar bones, tops of her shoulder and her neck. Emphasizing those features that she had never given much thought too before, but now found herself admiring. It did show something else off though.

A Portion of her infamous scar could be seen. Cutting from near her left collar bone and down onto her chest. It would be the first time a lot of the school would see it. It was dark red against her creamy skin, but fortunately thin. She wasn't too keen on drawing even more attention to herself but there was really no way around it.

Hermione walked in then and froze when she saw Harriet. A smile spreading across her face.

"Wow, Harriet! That looks so good on you! Merlin your eyes look really green." Hermione said smiling while admiring the dress.

"I know! I am really surprised. Mrs. Weasley chose a very nice dress. I probably wouldn't have gone for something so… floofy and sparkly, but I look like an actual girl in it." Harriet said while grabbing some of the skirt and swishing it back and forth. The tuile fabric seemed to float as she spun and moved it.

"You always look like a girl Harry. But yes the dress is definitely flattering." Hermione said and spun her finger to indicate spinning. Harriet obliged, and then laughed as the skirt flared out in a dramatic and very fun way.

Hermione giggled as well.

"Do you have shoes?" Hermione asked. A valid question, as when she had spun her fluffy snitch slippers had become visible beneath the hem. She went to the box and found a pair of gold coloured kitten heels. They were fortunately not very tall heels, only adding about half an inch of height, and the heel itself was wide for stability. Harriet found herself grateful that Mrs. Weasley had gotten her small easy to manage heels instead of something like she had seen some of the older girls walking around in, she wasn't at stiletto level yet. She put them on and found them a comfortable fit as they were a soft fabric material with a stretchy band at the heel so they would not go anywhere.

"It looks really good," Hermione added.

"Yeah, too bad everyone will be more interested in staring at my scar." She muttered and fingered the ominous cut.

Hermione sighed but couldn't really deny that people would be wanting a look. Everyone had been curious since Moody had done his lectures on the Unforgivables.

"Don't worry! The scar just makes you more mysterious. They will also be staring cause you look great," Hermione seemed to be appraising her for a moment. "You know… I think you have grown in these last few months. You seem taller,"

Harriet felt herself beam in pride. Maybe, her growing would not just be a dream. She then took off the dress and heels and put them back in the box, while she proceeded to inform Hermione about the letter from Percy.

* * *

She awoke on the day of the ball to a squeal from Parvati. It was Christmas and that meant there were presents!

Harriet and Hermione had agreed to meet all the Weasley down in the common room for presents, but they took the time to open up the presents from Parvati and Lavender.

Parvati had gotten her a tube of _Enormo Eyelashes_ A magical mascara that never smudges or clumped and guaranteed long luscious eyelashes.

Lavender had got her a tube of _Morganna's Makeup lip gloss_ in a pretty pink colour that said they would 'keep your lips plump and smudge free no matter the activity'. Harriet felt herself flush.

They thanked their friends and Harriet gave them the pretty matching hair clips that she had found at Hogsmeade.

They went to join the Weasleys soon after and grabbed Ginny on the way down. The Weasleys, Harriet, and Hermione were soon exchanging gifts and opening their customary Weasley sweaters.

From the twins, she had got some of the funny joke objects they had made. Things like canary creams and ton-tongue toffees were always a hit at the parties.

Ginny's gift was particularly sweet as it was a framed picture of Harriet with the twins, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. It had been Colin who took it after Ginny had dragged them all over at the start of the year. The frame was handmade and made the picture even better.

Ron had gotten her his customary chocolate frogs and book on Seeker ploys and strategy titled _Seekers and Snitches_

Hermione had got her a beautiful ink well, that you could tap with your wand and change the colour of the ink.

Separately and in private she had opened a present from Sirius. It was a magical switchblade that could open any lock. It was an ornate and powerful magical object. Apparently, he had gotten it from his vault via owl, so it was an heirloom.

After presents, everyone then put on their Weasley sweaters and went outside for their usual snowball fight. With so many more people in the castle, the snowball fight expanded to include many people from all school years. It became snowball armageddon.

Soon it was getting too crazy and Harriet and Hermione ducked back into the castle while still laughing. They had been on General's Fred and Georges team and with the twins and Ron's strategic know how they had sent the enemy Ravenclaws running. However, they were ambushed by the Hufflepuffs, who somehow charmed their snowballs to have a _rictumsempra_ inside. Every time they were struck, they burst into giggles. It was a dastardly tactic.

They went back upstairs to change into their dresses but ended up being hustled into the showers by Parvati and Lavender. They were thrown a bottle of Sleakeazy shampoo and poor Hermione was informed to lather at least three times.

They soon had Parvati and Lavender rubbing a Sleakeazy hair lotion into their hair after the shower and then they were told to brush their hair straight. They did as told and then watched in fascination as Parvati and Lavender twirled their damp hair into rollers, which matched the ones on the other girls head. They all soon found themselves sitting in the dorm room, painting each other's toenails. Harriet thought it was a bit pointless cause her shoes covered her toes, and her dress was really long, but she was having fun did it anyway.

Eventually, they had to move onto makeup.

Harriet was still apprehensive about it and asked Parvati, who had just finished her own stunning makeup, for a minimalist look. Parvati seemed disappointed but obliged.

However, Parvati informed her that first, they had to deal with Harriet's eyebrows. Harriet's eyebrows were naturally thick and she had never plucked them but she was open to the suggestion. She regretted it immediately as the next ten minutes were incredibly painful. She was ready to curse Parvati but was told that if she didn't sit still and grow a pair, then Parvati wouldn't do her makeup.

When that was thankfully over, Harriet sat and followed Parvati's instructions as the other girl brushed her skin and did her eyes. After sitting for a while, she was allowed to turn and look at her reflexion and she actually gasped in surprise.

Her eyes were stunning, with a line of thin eyeliner around them and a faint brushing of some sparkly gold along the lid. Her eyes looked sparkly and emphasized. Her lashes were voluminous and dark, making the green pop and look slightly exotic. Her skin looked smoother and shimmered slightly, especially along her cheekbones and brow. Her eyebrows themselves had been tweazed and tamed much to her discomfort, but the end result made them more angular and defined. Her lips were a pretty, pale rose and looked much plumper. The entire look she thought was rather mature and she smiled widely at Parvati.

"Oh, Harry! You look lovely!" Lavender called from behind her. She turned to see Lavender who also looked incredibly pretty. Lavender looked really grown up and had dark eyeshadow that made her baby blues pop. She was next to a nearly unrecognizable Hermione.

Hermione looked so mature and gorgeous. She was looking older with defined cheekbones and a light blush on her cheeks. Her lips were a deep pink that matched her slightly tanned complexion. She had light purple eyeshadow in various gradients and dark brown eyeliner. It made her dark brown eyes look bigger and look smoldering. It was a stunning effect and Harriet told her so. The entire look would match Hermione's pink-purple dress perfectly.

She was ready to admit that Lavender and Parvati were geniuses.

It was time to take out the rollers and dry their hair with a drying charm. Harriet's raven hair, which was usually in some state of tangle, fell in lovely tamed waves to her mid back.

But Hermione's usually unruly locks had undergone the real change. Her chestnut curls were much longer than Harriet realized as they fell to her shoulder blades.

Parvati claimed Hermione's hair while Lavender did her own and Harriet was called over by Parvati to help.

She acted as an assistant and handed Parvati what she needed and place her fingers where directed. She watched as Hermione's hair was swept up into an elegant updo. With some soft tendrils framing her face. Hermione looked so pretty. The final touch was a spray with some sparkly magical hair spray, which just made Hermione's hair twinkle prettily in the light. Oh yeah, Harriet wanted some sparkles too!

Next was Harriet's turn. Parvati and Lavender seemed to be debating between an updo and leaving it down.

"It just so long and has such a lovely curl to it," Lavender said. It was decided that the front part of her hair from either side of her face would be pulled back and styled in a miniature updo at the back of her head, while most of her hair would hang down her back. Harriet's face was framed nicely by her some tendrils and she was given the sparkly hair spray as well.

The end result Harriet thought was amazing. She really couldn't thank her dorm mates enough. It was not often that she felt truly pretty, and secretly she had always wanted to be. Her mum in any photos she had seen was a beautiful woman, and she had always wished her mum could be here to help her with these things. It was great to have roommates who could help her as well.

Finally, the dresses were donned and they had to make their way down to the great hall. The entrance hall was packed with people waiting for the ball to begin, but off the side, she saw McGonagall waving her down. She grabbed Hermione and made her way over.

On approaching, McGonagall gave them a quick appraisal and one of her small rare smiles touched her lips.

"You girls look lovely," McGonagall said. As she had spoken Krum had walked over. He bowed to Hermione then held out his elbow. She blushed but smiled and put her hand into the crook of his arm.

Harriet beamed after them.

"Please go collect your own date Miss Potter, we would like to begin soon," McGonagall told her indicating down the hall.

Harriet turned and saw a group Slytherins that probably had her date within their mix.

She made her way over weaving between the crowd. She found her date beside an amused looking Nott who had Pansy on his arm. Pansy was glaring daggers at Daphne, who smirking at Pansy and was on the arm of Malfoy, who stood in front of Zabini glaring daggers at the boy. Crabbe and Goyle were also standing behind Malfoy but didn't have their own dates.

"Well, I don't understand why you are so upset Draco, it doesn't really matter too much that Potter is Gryffindor. I am not going to go and give her the password for the dungeons, I am just going to… enjoy myself." He said in a very cheeky way. Malfoy was grinding his teeth.

"It matters Zabini," Pansy cut in. "Because she is an ugly little half-blood and way to low class for people like us. She has no charms and looks like a troll."

"Really Pansy? She may be only a half-blood and overly Gryffindor, but she is charming enough and definitely no troll." Zabini said looking at Pansy in that amused indifferent way.

"Careful Zabini, your clothes may spontaneously turn scarlet and gold if you talk about me nicely," Harriet spoke then interrupting the insults at her expense.

The Slytherins all spun to her then. She gave a small smirk to Zabini, who had a pleasantly surprised look on his face when he looked at her. Out of her periphery, she saw the Slytherin girls narrow their eyes, Nott give her an appreciative once over, and Malfoys face take on a blank expression.

"What a horrible side effect. I will be sure to keep compliments to a minimum. Though I do have to say, you look very pretty in green." Zabini spoke then. She found herself extremely amused. What fourteen-year-old spoke like that? he had been trained waaaayyy too well.

"The Champions are being called, we have to go." She said with an amused grin.

"Oh, we get shepherded in separately?" he asked.

"Apparently, and we will be eating at the high table with all the Judges, and Ministry Officials." She added. She knew Zabini knew all this already, but he was trying to rub it in the face of one of his friends. If she got to tick off Slytherins she was happy to help.

"Right, we best be off." He came to stand beside her and offered an arm. As they walked away she noticed that he shot a look over her shoulder at someone. She ignored it.

Zabini and herself had actually got on alright during their informal dance lessons. He was someone who kept his real feelings closed off but he didn't seem to mind her company. He still ignored Hermione when she came with Harriet to the lessons, and that really irked Harriet, but she decided that she was not going to start an argument about it at the moment. He hadn't said anything outright rude and there was a time and a place for that.

She also suspected that behind his suave, indifferent attitude he was actually a bit more of a sheep. He followed Slytherins ideals because it kept him comfortable and he was alright with that. So it actually made it quite strange that he asked her to the ball because she was as far from those ideals as you could get according to the Slytherins. He must have really wanted to annoy someone.

Fortunately, to offset a lot of his personality that she found annoying, he had a rather sharp wit and was looking very handsome in his dress robes, which were tailored and a shiny black material. She didn't know much about clothes but to her untrained eye, they looked expensive. His hair was more artfully done that hers, making the dark waves tamed and back from his face.

It was very unfair, Harriet thought, that some of the most attractive boys in their year were in Slytherin. Thinking of Zabini and Malfoy. On the flip side though, they also had Crabbe and Goyle.

They lined up with the rest just as the doors to the great hall open. Ron went by her and gave her a smile, but then looked in confusion at Hermione. Did he seriously not recognize her! What a doofus.

She saw that Zabini was actually looking at her from her periphery and turned to face him. He wasn't looking at her face however, he was looking at the thin, red, scar on her chest. He shrugged an apology when he was caught. He was one of the more polite ones. People were actually craning their necks as they walked by into the hall.

"Did you see it?"

"That was it, that's the scar!"

"It looks almost raw,"

"It's too bad, 'cause she looks pretty otherwise."

She felt a flush creep up her neck but tried to focus on a spot directly ahead.

Finally, the last of the guest were in and they were now lined up at the door.

"Everyone, please welcome your champions!" She heard Dumbledores voice call out from inside.

She watched as Fleur and an awestruck Roger Davis swept into the room first. Hermione and Krum flowing shortly after. Cho and Cedric were smiling happily as they made their grand entrance.

Harriet and Zabini followed right after that and Harriet never realized how little thought she put into walking until she was trying to think through every single movement. Fortunately, Zabini was able to cover for her stumbling with his self-assured grace.

Soon they were almost at the top table and she saw Percy trying to wave her down. She steered Zabini to that side and sat down beside Percy with Zabini to her right. To the right of Zabini was another ministry official, who she later learned was the Head of R and D Charms Division, the department responsible for the Videus Charm. Zabini looked absolutely delighted to talk with the man, something about networking.

There was quite a few official looking people at the head table and it had been expanded considerably. Along with Percy who was representing Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman was there, a deputy head for the Control of Magical Beasts department, Amos Diggory with his wife probably more their for their son versus the official reason as a ministry representative, and another man from the Magical Artifacts and Objects department.

They sat down, and Dumbledore stood up to say a few words about interschool and international cooperation. Then he sat down to the applause and everyone watched as he picked up his menu then said: "I'll have the pork chops please."

Like magic, his plate filled with a scrumptious looking pork chop with mashed potatoes, a creamy side dish and some greens, all topped with gravy.

Harriet looked down at her own menu and decided on a steak. Soon everyone was eating and chatting and she turned her attention to Percy.

"Wow, Percy it's really good that Mr. Crouch trusts you to represent him at these kinds of events." She said while trying to butter him up. It worked because she saw Percy's chest puff up like a cockatrice.

"Indeed, he really does trust me you know," Percy said. "While he is indisposed he has been sending me owls personally to take care of his business affairs. He also has said that he trusts my work will be up to his high standards." Harriet wondered if Mr. Courch was still calling Percy Weatherby.

"I'm sure. it really unfortunate that he is so sick though, do you know if he is alright?" she pried. She layed on thick a sweet and concerned manner and turned the full force of it on Percy.

"Yes, it is unfortunate especially with how busy the department is with this Tournament." Said Percy and seeing her puppy dog eyes he added, "he has not said exactly what is the matter, but he says it is not life-threatening, but he is indisposed. So there is no need to worry."

"That's good, isn't it. How long has he been gone for?" She asked with an overly relieved sigh.

"Oh just after the first task, he started to feel ill, he was feeling a bit out of sorts before that though. And might I say that you were quite enthralling in the first task Harriet. But I hope you have learned your lesson about putting your name into the goblet, there is such a thing as biting off more than you can chew." He was back to his condescending lecturing tone. Harriet had to fight hard not to roll her eyes.

"Nonsense!" said the man sitting to Percy's left. "She seemed to handle facing a dragon exceptionally well and with such a clever summoning and illusion charm. My family and I watched you at home. You had my wife in a fit of worries, but my son and daughter are now your number one fans, they will be delighted when I tell them I met you." The jovial man reached his hand across Percy's plate to shake her hand. She put down her fork and did so.

"Marcus Prevost, Miss Potter, a pleasure to meet you. I am a deputy head of Magical Artifacts and Objects department at the ministry." He said while giving her arm a vigorous shake.

"Nice to meet you too." She said calmly, he seemed nice enough. "What does the Department of Magical Artifacts and Objects do?"

"Oh, we are responsible for regulation on many of the common magical objects and create bylaws for standardization on everything from brooms to potion gear. But the fun part of our job is when we deal with more rare artifacts like magic carpets, golems, or pensieves."

"What's a golem and pensieve?" she asked curiously.

"Well golems are magical guardians are that are made out of clay. They are very difficult to destroy as their magic is only contained in one spot so any damage inflicted on them is moot unless you get that one place. They look like clay statues with swirling patterns on them. A pensieve is a stone basin that allows you to see memories. They can be your own or other peoples memories, most people don't have much use for them but they can be handy in court cases."

Harriet was genuinely intrigued. "That's interesting, the golems sound cool. Do you create them?"

"Yes we can, but we mostly do regulations on them. They can reap havoc if unattended. We create other magical artifacts though… we are the ones responsible for creating your egg," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "Clever bit of magic if I do say so myself, tell me how are you getting along with it?"

She heard Zabini and the other man stop talking and turn to face her as well. She found no reason to lie about her progress. So she smiled a mischievous smile.

"Very well, Mr. Prevost. I have solved the clue, now I just have to prepare. It was really amazing magic." She said politely and with a confidence she didn't really feel. She was trying not to think about breathing underwater for an hour.

"Oh really! That's excellent Miss Potter, simply excellent!" He smiled at her widely. "My dear you are full of surprises! I may place my money on you yet."

Percy engaged Mr. Prevost then in a conversation about standardizing cauldron bottoms soon after and she turned her attention back to her food and the table in general.

She saw Hermione listening with a smile to whatever Krum was saying as he gestured lively with his hands. Cho and Cedric were beside his Parents and they were all happily talking. Fleur was also doing most of the talking as Roger Davis looked at her in a daze. The Professors were interspersed between all the extra visitors and were engaged in lively conversations. She noticed that Hagrid and Madam Maxine were in their own little world down along the table, and she felt exceptionally happy at the smile on Hagrid's face.

She turned her attention back to Blaise, as his discussion partner was distracted by Professor Flitwick on the man's Right.

"I can't believe you have figured out your clue. You're smarter than I gave you credit for." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I have my sources," she said thinking about Hermione and Lupin. "People underestimate me. I think it's because of my height. But its okay, cause I can use it to my advantage." She told him with a smirk.

"How positively Slytherin of you… you sure you're in the right house." He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well the hat did consider me for Slytherin, but I am definitely more Gryffindor." She said with amusement as she saw his eyes widen in surprise at the information.

"Really? That would have been… interesting." He finished.

"So how is your masterplan to annoy your housemates going? From what I saw in the entrance hall you have them right riled," Harriet said. "They seem perfectly horrified that you went with me."

"It is working perfectly actually, the one I wanted to annoy is exceptionally chuffed. He has been like that since I asked you," said Zabini with a sardonic eyebrow. She looked over the great hall where the long tables had been replaced by many smaller round tables that sat around eight people. She saw the fourth year Slytherins and saw that Malfoy was stabbing his dinner with his fork. The rest seemed to be ignoring him.

"Were you trying to annoy Malfoy?" She asked. Zabini's smirk spoke volumes.

"I get how asking me would annoy him, he detests me, but why did you want to annoy him? I thought you two were friends" She asked curiously. Zabini took a moment to answer, probably having an internal debate.

"He couldn't ask who he wanted to ask so he asked Daphne despite knowing that I wanted to ask her, and not even liking her himself," He said with a slight frown and with a heavy amount of snobby disdain. "Just because he didn't have the balls to ask who he wanted he went and asked who I wanted. So I asked you to annoy him."

"You like Greengrass," she said with a small smile. He frowned at her.

"Keep that to yourself, Potter, I am being nice tonight and I would appreciate the same courtesy."

"I have no interest in spreading rumors Blasie. And for the record, I think you and Greengrass would be nice together." She added with an indifferent shrug, it really wasn't life-changing gossip. She had never really had much of a conversation with Daphne Greengrass, but while Pansy was a bitch and Bulstrode and Davis followed her lead when it came to sneering at Harriet, Daphne had always been rather indifferent and cold about the entire thing. Maybe Zabini's and Greengrass's indifference would match.

It was soon after that their plates had been cleared and Dumbledore stood and asked everyone to do the same. He waved his wand and the tables and chairs disappeared and in front of Harriet on the dais, a bunch of instruments appeared. A large flat square made of wood also appeared in the middle of the hall under peoples feet. The dance floor had been created and now it was time for the opening dance.

Fortunately, she was feeling a bit more confident about the entire waltzing thing. Zabini had actually been a good teacher and he had said at their last meeting that she was passable and probably wouldn't embarrass herself. It was glowing praise from Zabini.

They walked into the square and she put one of her hands on his shoulder with her elbow out and the other in his hand. He put his hand on her waist and held both their arms out with the other. She was getting nervous again but Zabini took the lead and she allowed herself to relax.

The champions were all floating around the dance floor and as Harriet spun past Hermione she shared a smile. Soon the music came to an end and the entire ordeal that she had been dreading for weeks was over.

Other couples joined them on the dance floor and then she was just one of the crowd and quite thankful for the fact.

It ended up being quite fun.

She and Zabini ended up dancing next to Hermione and Krum and Zabini actually stayed with her and danced. She had kind of suspected that he was going to ditch her after finishing the waltz but he didn't. The Weird Sisters came on later and the dancing became more energetic. Zabini surprised her by dancing and spinning her around. She was getting extremely warm and decided that she needed some air. She told Zabini and he looked over to where Nott, Pansy, Bulstrode, Greengrass and a couple older Slytherins were dancing. She waved him off and happily left the dance floor by herself.

She saw that Ron and Dean were off the side of the hall by themselves, their dates of Parvati and Padma obviously ditching the grumpy sticks in the mud. Ron was looking sourly at Hermione and Krum and Harriet just rolled her eyes. Dean caught her eye and sat up, but she just smiled and kept walking.

She slipped out of the great hall, through the entrance hall, and out into the night air. It was very chilly but there were fairy lights floating through the air giving the snowy night a magical glow. She found a bench off the side of the door, slightly hidden behind a shrub, and took a second to cool down.

She heard someones come out of the doors and saw that it was Hagrid and Madam Maxine. They obviously didn't see her because they began talking and Harriet suddenly wished that she could be anywhere else.

"I 'ad a real nice time Olympe," said Hagrid shyly.

"Moi as well, 'Agrid." Madam Maxine stated with her flirty french accent.

"It's just a relief t'meet someone like myself, ya know. Aign't easy being what we are," Hagrid stated.

There was a pregnant pause.

"What do you mean, what we are?" Olympe said with confusion and a slightly offended tone.

"Well, you know… being a half-giant." Hagrid said. Harriet thought that is made sense, but apparently, Madam Maxine was not happy.

"What do you zay!? I am not a… zat!"

Another pause and Hagrids turn to be confused.

"Well… I mean you're like me, and that's what I am." Hagrid said sounding hurt.

"I do not know what you are saying, and I am certainly not… related to anything like zat," she said in a very offended tone. She then heard Madam Maxine storm back inside. There was a moment where Hagrid stood outside looking at the great doors. Then he hung his head and turned to walk back to his hut.

Harriet felt her heart break for her friend. She debated going after him but decided against it. He probably needed some time.

She stood up herself as she was beginning to shiver.

To her surprise, she noticed a beetle on the skirt of the dress. End of December was a weird time for a beetle to be out and about. She brushed the beetle off into the shrub then quickly made her way back into the hall.

Just as she entered the entrance hall she saw Karkaroff come slinking out of the doors to the great hall. He had a look on his face that was suspicious and Harriet found herself instinctively tucking herself into an alcove to watch him. Karkaroff looked around then slunk towards the hall that led to the dungeons.

She would admit later that it wasn't her most genius idea to follow after Karkaroff, especially considering Sirius' warnings, but she needed some answers.

She bent down and grabbed her wand from where she had attached it to her calf. She then took off her shoes and silently followed him.

Karkaroff went down the corridor then turned a corner into the path that led to the potions classroom and away from the kitchens. She crept to the corner and listened. To her surprise, she heard Snape's voice.

"What do you want Karkaroff?" Snape sneered at the man. The amount of disdain in his voice surprised her and she realized that Snape and Karkaroff must actually have a history. She very carefully peeked around the corner, thankfully hidden by the dim light.

"Severus, surely you know vhy I sought you? Thee mark. It is getting darker." Karkaroff anxious tone whispered in the corridor.

"What are you implying Karkaroff, do you know something that I should be made privy too?" Snape asked silkily.

"I know nothing! But I know that you are in thee ear of Dumbledore. Perhaps you strategically placed yourself there vith purpose. I expect you are actually thee vone who knows more."

"Careful Karkaroff, I cannot tell if you are implying or accusing. But given your history… I expect the later," in that soft way of his that implied danger. Karkaroff made a noise like a growl but was interrupted from responding by the sound of the great hall doors opening back down the corridor that Harriet came from.

She then heard both men pause and she froze as well. Finally, Snape spoke.

"This is a bad place for such discussions. Do be mindful Karkaroff."

The sound of his footsteps were coming towards her. Crap!

She was fortunately next to an alcove and a suit of armor that was dark with shadows. With a surprising amount of grace, she slid past and behind the amour silently while tucking in the side of her dress and then stood still in the darkness holding her breath. She watched Snape glide by without looking in her direction. She waited then a minute later she saw Karkaroff slink past towards the great hall while clutching his left forearm and looking extremely angry. Fortunately, he didn't see her either.

She waited another minute then slipped her past the armor again, mindful of her dress. She slipped on her shoes again and walked back towards the great hall. She wanted to tell Hermione and Ron what she heard but knew it would have to wait for the morning. She was so distracted that she didn't notice hurried footsteps coming until they were practically on top of her. She didn't have time to hide as the person turned the corner and came to a surprised stop in front of her.

It was Malfoy and they both blinked at each other a couple times, being taken aback by the others abrupt appearance. Malfoy was the one to recover first and he narrowed his eyes at her and scrutinized her in the dim torchlight. He then lifted his head and started looking behind her for something.

"What are you doing out here Potter?" He asked suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes at his tone and managed to come back to herself.

"I needed a walk Malfoy, not that it's any of your business."

There was a moment of silence when they just glared at each other.

"Where's Zabini?" he growled. She raised her eyebrow.

"Not sure, probably in the great hall. If you want to hex you him you will have a lot of witnesses." She responded. He seemed to relax a bit but was still glaring.

"Now if you will excuse me," she made to brush past him, but he grabbed her forearm as she passed.

"Why did you go with him? Zabini to the ball, that is." Malfoy grit out. She was more curious than threatened so she only shook her arm out of his grip and turned to respond, they were quite close.

"Why not? I needed a partner who could dance and Zabini is alright." She shrugged.

"He is Slytherin… you hate Slytherins"

"I don't hate Slytherins," she said, even surprising herself. "I hate pompous, bitchy attitudes and arrogant bullies, which just so happens to be a trait that many of the Slytherin's possess." Giving Malfoy a very pointed glare to let him know where he stood in that. Malfoy was silent for a moment, but his face had lost its frown and he was back to an impassive mask. She was going to leave but he spoke again.

"Maybe you don't know some of us well enough." He said.

She gave him a confused look. Was he trying to say he wasn't like that? She had plenty of evidence to the contrary. Like in first year when he had constantly goaded her into fights, challenged her to duels and tried to get her in trouble. Or second year, when the little ponce had said what he did about muggleborns and then fought her desperately in quidditch. Or third year when the jerk had ruined Hagrid's Hippogriff lesson and then his father nearly had the Buckbeak killed. Not too mention that he had gone out of his way to constantly sit near her that year and make snide remarks, insults, and generally rude comments. Not to mention that he seemed to develop a new hatred for Ron that year and had been constantly at his throat.

She had to admit that this year he had been much calmer. The occasional verbal sparring match that she usually came out on top in was nothing she couldn't handle.

"Oh, you aren't an arrogant bully, who lives to torment me?" she asked in disbelief

"I am not tormenting you, you are tormenting me!" he accused, stepping closer.

She stood her ground.

"Yeah right Malfoy, and I am Merlin reborn," she said sarcastically.

"Maybe you are, but I am different from how I was. Not that you would notice because you are the most oblivious person in the world."

"I am not!"

"Oh yes you are and I can prove it," he said looking fevered, and before she could respond he had lightly grasped her upper arms. She completely froze at the unexpected touch and then was frozen again as Malfoy, quickly, but in a controlled manner, ducked his head and placed his lips firmly on hers.

It did not last long, perhaps all of five seconds. Harriet let out a squeak against his lips and did an odd little body spasm as he held her arms. She then managed to get her own hands up and grasp him around the biceps and push him back.

Let it be known that Harriet was not known for her even temper. She didn't even hesitate as she brought her wand up and point blank she fired a Jelly legs jinx at Malfoy.

Malfoy eyes went wide before the jinx hit him, and he went sprawling onto his back with his legs flapping wildly.

There was a heavy moment, where Harriet stared down at Draco, pale and wide-eyed, and Draco stared at Harriet shocked a pink-cheeked.

"What the hell?" Harriet said.

Draco stared at her with his grey eyes intense, then his mouth opened to answer, and Harriet decided that she definitely was not ready to hear whatever was going to come out of his mouth.

Either it was to insult her and embarrass her which in that case meant that she had just lost her first kiss to the worst possible person.

Or he actually meant it, which had even crazier implications. His father had actually tried to kill her in second year for Merlin sake.

"Wait! just don't!" she said sounding panicked.

Malfoys face took on a determined edge as he stared up at her. "Just think about it okay. I'm different," he said while still trying to control his legs.

Crap, so he did mean it. Her anger and confusion exploded. "Shut up Malfoy! And don't do that again! Like I would ever think about you like that," she snapped at him. His face fell, but she couldn't find it in her to feel regret.

The panicky feeling in her chest was in full force. She hurried past him and shot him one last disdainful look before she turned the corner.

She realized she had her wand was still clenched in her fist and she stopped to stash it. She hadn't even noticed, her stomach had a hundred butterflies and she felt cold and hot at the same time. Crap!

As she walked farther away she recognized that she had let her temper take control again. The image of Malfoy upset face played behind her eyelids and she realized that maybe she had overreacted. But she had just been so mad that he had kissed her.

She made it back to the Great Hall. It was nearing midnight and the ball would be closing soon, which she felt extremely grateful for. There were too many things happening and she just really needed a breather. As she entered, she saw Ron and Hermione walking towards her. They had their heads together and were arguing.

"Really Ron, I don't see what the issue is!" Hermione said in an agitated voice.

"The issue Hermione is that you are consorting with the enemy!" Ron pressed, red in the face.

"The enemy! Ron this whole competition is about cooperation!" She hissed. "Victor was a perfect—"

"Oh, so it's Victor now! You two are chummy then! Did you tell him everything that we helped Harry discover?" Ron sneered.

"Yes, Ron! Victor! Who was a perfect gentleman thank you very much! And for the record we didn't even talk about the tournament!" she snapped, looking angry and close to tears. "Just because it took you years to figure out I'm a girl does not mean other people haven't noticed! You should have grown a backbone and asked me first if you were going to be so offended when I said no!"

She spun then and saw Harriet.

"And where have you been!" she snapped. Harriet just froze. "Nevermind! I'm going to bed!" she stormed past Harriet into the hall and up the stairs to the tower.

Harriet and Ron stared after her.

"Can you believe how mental she's being?" Ron said still looking angry. Harriet just gave him a nervous look.

"Ron… I think you really hurt her feelings," she said quietly. Ron looked ready to snap at her too, but then seemed to deflate.

"I'm going to bed," he mumbled looking dejected.

Harriet was left standing in the doors to the great hall, feeling confused and upset. Not to mention her heart breaking for Hagrid and her mind whirling about Karkaroff and Snape. Finally, her stomach was fluttering nervously at the thought of Malfoy. She didn't even know what to think about that.

It seemed her whole body was in revolt and she decided that it was time to put this exceptionally long day behind her. She turned and followed behind her friends up to bed.


	12. Operation Gillyweed Phase One

It had taken a week, but her friends had come back together over a mutual want to help her and their curiosity over the Karkaroff-Snape mystery. After she had told them, and had been reprimanded for recklessness by Hermione, they had also agreed that is sounded as if Snape and Karkaroff knew each more than just educator acquaintances.

Hermione decided to double their efforts in the Daily Prophet archives. She and Ron were scouring the old papers throughout the winter break. Fortunately, despite Hogwarts having many more people than usual, they were mostly avoiding the library. Only the odd Ravenclaw were found in the dusty tomes.

Harriet wanted to help but was seriously invested in trying to find anything to help her breath underwater.

"Aha! Here!" Ron said. It was a Daily Prophet from 1982. The headline said in bold letters,

 ** _Beater Bagman Called in for Questioning About Death Eater Activity!_**

Harriet's jaw dropped. Bagman was a Death Eater?

Well, no. According to the Prophet, he had been called in for an informal questioning about some information he had accidentally given to a suspected Death Eater named Rookwood. It was nothing more than unintended negligence and he had gotten a slap on the wrist. However, the article did state that the magistrate Crouch had taken a very hard line of questioning, despite the unanimous decision that Bagman was innocent.

"So, Crouch was a real stickler, but Bagman was acquitted anyway," Ron stated in a ponderous tone.

"Seems like Crouch has held a grudge since," Harriet stated.

"Even though I think that Bagman is irresponsible, it seems like what he did was unintentional, and any grudge Crouch holds isn't really justified," Hermione stated with a frown. "We need more on these trials."

Soon they had another breakthrough.

 ** _Karkaroff Spills! The Surprise Death Eaters!_**

They all gathered around Hermione and read the article. Their surprise turned to shock as they learned Karkaroff had taken a plea deal for the names of still at large Death Eaters. He had named a few names and arrests had been made. The surprise name had been Rookwood, who they had just read Bagman had accidentally passed information onto and was a member of the Department of Mysteries. They were also surprised when they learned Snape was one of the people accused by Karkaroff, but apparently, he had been acquitted in a closed trial at an earlier date.

"Karkaroff ratted out other Death Eaters, that's what Snape was talking about that night when he said that Karkaroff was accusing," Harriet said.

"Snape was acquitted in a closed trial? He had been a Death Eater! I knew he was evil." Ron said with conviction.

"But he was acquitted Ron, so he was found innocent," Hermione stated with a frown.

"Snape is sneaky, Hermione. He obviously got away with it somehow," Ron stated.

"You think Snape could trick Dumbledore? Cause soon after this Snape began teaching at Hogwarts." Hermione said. That stumped Ron.

The final surprise had come a whole week later.

 ** _Crouch versus Crouch! The Son of Respected Magistrate is a Death Eater!_**

Read the article together. And could not stop the sick feeling in their stomach as the article continued.

Crouch had sent his own son, Barty Crouch Jr, to Azkaban, along with a Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange.

Mr. Crouch had been absolutely ruthless and had publicly denounced his son and ignored the nineteen-year-old's pleas for mercy. Apparently, the witch Bellatrix Lestrange had been laughing manically about her Master the Dark Lord the entire time she was dragged to Azkaban.

The worst part of the article was the crime that they were being accused of. The three Death Eaters had tortured Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom with the cruciatus curse so severely that the respected Aurors had lost their minds and were now permanent residents at St. Mungos.

Harriet felt absolutely sick. She had lost her parents, but she imagined if it would be even harder to have your parents but not able to communicate with them.

"Oh Merlin, poor Neville" Ron whispered horrified. Hermione was wide-eyed, pale and had her hands on her mouth.

"The day we learned about the Unforgivables, Neville was really shaken after seeing the cruciatus curse," Hermione whispered looking teary. Harriet also remembered the poor spider that had been withering in indescribable pain. She shuddered.

"Guys… we can't let Neville know that we know. It was his choice to tell us or not, and this doesn't change how we interact with him," Harriet said seriously. Ron and Hermione just nodded.

* * *

They were distracted again by another unfortunate event. A second Rita Skeeter article.

This one was even worse for Harry because the focus of the article was about people that Harriet was friends with. Skeeter's subject was about Dumbledore hiring dangerous individuals.

First, there had been a werewolf hired a year ago as the DADA professor, and now the care of Magical creatures Professor was discovered to be a half-giant.

Harriet was flummoxed as to how Skeeter had found out. She had been the only one out there when Hagrid had said it at the ball. She had told Hermione so, and Hermione got that look like a dog chasing a bone. Hermione was out for Skeeter.

Hagrid had not been at their next care of magical creature's lesson, and Pansy had been cackling the entire time. Her snobby and degrading remarks about Hagrid had been hard to hear, and Harriet was ready to punch her pug nose in.

She managed to control her temper and instead went down to Hagrid's hut to find him and drag him back into the world.

"HAGRID, YOU OPEN THIS DOOR AND LET US IN, CAUSE WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT COW SKEETER'S BLOODY ARTICLE! WHICH IS, FOR THE RECORD, A FAT, STINKY PILE OF BULLSHHH-"

The door swung open and they were surprised when, instead of Hagrid, it was Dumbledore who answered.

"Well good evening Harriet," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye and a raised eyebrow.

"Oh… Good evening Professor. Ah… please ignore that last bit." She said sheepishly.

"I am afraid I just heard the knocking, and nothing more," Dumbledore said amused.

After a discussion with Hagrid in which they assured that they loved him no matter what, and Dumbledore absolutely refused to accept Hagrid's resignation, Hagrid was nearly back to his old self.

"You know Harry, I reckon you are gonna win this 'ere tournament. Show 'em the underdog 'as got a chance." Hagrid said. "'Ows the egg, Harry? You figured it out?" Hagrid asked.

"I am doing everything I can," Harriet said with conviction.

"Ah well then, you will be alright! You're a powerful witch an don't let anyone tell yeh different."

* * *

Harriet was inspired by Hagrid's faith, but despite their breakthroughs learning about Crouch, Bagman, and Karkaroff, Harriet was really struggling on her breathing underwater problem.

She had found some very useful spells for the task. A stunning spell that moved faster in water than a regular stunning spell, which she still was unable to do. A clever cutting curse that worked better than a _diffindo_ under water. A spell that allowed her voice to travel through water, making casting spells much easier. And a crazy looking spell that managed to propel the user forward like a torpedo. The maker of that spell had warned against its use due to the force of the spell and the potential for injury. If there was anything in the path of the propelled person, it would get ugly.

She also read quite a bit about Mermaids themselves. They had a long and tumultuous history with wizards. It was a testament to Dumbledore that the tribe in the lake would be willing to participate in this tournament. One very handy book written by Newt Scamander spoke about the mermish culture and she learned how to properly greet the chieftain and elders. Maybe they wouldn't kill her if she was polite.

But she wasn't having any luck breathing underwater until Hermione came across a charm called a bubblehead charm. Her momentary elation dimmed as she read about the spell.

It was, in short, an extremely complicated bit of magic. It involved advanced arithmancy in the preparation of the spell, a few complicated magical theories she wasn't aware of, and some very complex wand movements combined with an exact measured dose of the person's magic.

She looked at Hermione to see if she understood, and even Hermione was looking quite panicked at the complexity of the spell.

They had not even learned how to control the amount of magic they put into a spell yet, as their magical cores were still growing and controlling a fluctuating core was pointless. It was something that Flitwick had talked about in the past.

She imagined that doing the arithmancy for this spell was even beyond Hermione as it required body mass in fat, muscle, bone and organ tissue and then the specific oxygen needs for the different tissues. All this was complicated by the time needed to be underwater.

Not only that, but the magical theory for this spell required knowledge of transferring molecular material and pulling unseen oxygen from the surrounding environment.

Well shit!

She was truly starting to understand that she was a fourth year against much more magically developed, fully trained seventh years.

She needed another way.

* * *

Her breakthrough came at the end of January in the form of Neville.

Despite agreeing to be the same with Neville after reading about his parents, the three of them couldn't resist spending a bit more time with their friend.

They ended up eating dinner with him quite a bit and Neville was able to pick up on their dejected mood as Hermione, Ron, and Harriet sat down one evening. They had just had their hopes crushed by the bubblehead charm and were feeling defeated.

"Harriet? you guys alright? Anything I can do?" Neville asked in a worried tone.

"Unless you know a way to breathe underwater, I don't think there is anything anyone can do for me." She said in a dejected tone.

"Well, there is Gillyweed," Neville said thoughtfully.

Harriet, Ron, and Hermione froze and looked at Neville.

"Pardon," Harriet asked breathlessly.

"Gillyweed," said Neville. "It was in the book Professor Moody gave me at the start of the year. It's a rare plant that gives the person who eats it the ability to breath underwater. Its properties are quite interesting as it is also used in some medicinal potions—"

"Can you breathe underwater for an hour?" Hermione asked.

"Umm yes, if you eat enough." Said Neville startled.

"Do you know how much that is?" Ron asked.

"Well, I could figure it out pretty easy." Neville said, "the calculations were in the book."

"Neville, how do we get some?" Harriet asked eye wide. She could easily eat a plant as opposed to the bubble head charm.

"Well that's pretty impossible," Neville stated and then watched as all three visibly deflated. He bit his lip feeling bad. "Gillyweed is controlled because its only used in pretty rare circumstances and in particular potions. You can only order it if you are licensed by the ministry or are a certified class five Potions Master."

Harriet perked up. She bit her lip then lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Does anyone know what class Snape is?" she asked.

Ron and Neville both looked at her with wide eyes. While Hermione's jaw actually dropped.

"He is a class five Potions master, the highest class. But Harriet you can't be serious." Hermione squeaked.

"Neville do you think Snape has Gillyweed," she ignored Hermione. Neville looked thoughtful for a minute.

"Yes, he would. He makes an allergic reaction potion that Madam Pomfrey uses, I had to use it once when I had an allergic reaction to a bug bite. That potion for sure uses Gillyweed." Neville said sounding positive.

"Harry, there is no way that Snape is going to give you Gillyweed," Ron said looking nervous.

"I know… I think... I think I am going to have to steal it from Snape's private store." She said nervously. Ron and Hermione had horrified looks and Neville actually fainted.

* * *

Operation Gillyweed was a go.

They had three weeks until the task and had to get the Gillyweed before then.

They had exhausted their option on getting their hand on the stuff the legal way. It turned out there were other limitations to getting Gillyweed besides being a class five potions master. It needed to be harvested at low tide on a new moon. Which meant that there was unlikely anymore Gillyweed available on the market from the last intersection of those events. Gillyweed tended to sell fast because of its usefulness in medicinal potions.

So, If Harriet wanted Gillyweed, it would have to be from Snape. Harriet debated asking Snape for the Gillyweed, but she just didn't trust the man to give it to her. He would probably glorify in seeing her embarrass herself in the second task. It was pretty critical that Harriet competed as well because if not she forfeited her magic. In short, she was stuck between a rock and a Snape's nasty attitude. Harriet decided to take the easy route... to become a criminal.

She, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were planning the heist and they decided that it needed to take place in two parts. They needed information, so they would need to scout the target before making a move. The second part would be riskier, it would be the actual theft.

It was Monday, which meant the perfect day for scouting their target in double potions.

Neville was going to help them and really take one for the team. He was going to provide a distraction and make his cauldron explode in a big way. He had volunteered when they were discussing what to do.

 _"Listen Snape already knows I am a disaster in potions. And he would definitely know that someone would bully me by putting something into my potion. This way, you guys aren't implicated and can focus on the second part." Neville had said._

 _"Are you sure Neville? Snape is going to be apoplectic after this," Harriet had asked._

 _Neville had just nodded his head in a determined way. Neville was always exceptionally brave for his friends._

They were now standing just outside the potion's classroom waiting for class to begin.

"Okay, we good on the plan?" Harriet asked.

Everyone nodded, with Neville looking grim and determined. Hermione handed Neville a small vial, with blue powder.

"Now remember Neville, you pour this pixie wings dust in AFTER you put your cauldron on the fire. DO NOT let Snape see you. After that, it's going to heat up and it's going to need a minute to get to the right temperature. I will walk over to the supply cupboard at that time. Only when you see me get to the supply cupboard do you put the salamander scales in. Then it's going to go off," Hermione said with a grimace. "Ron and Harriet make sure Snape is distracted. I'll go into his office and check out the supply cupboard door. Snape always leaves the door to his office open during the lesson so that it shouldn't be a problem to get into his office. I am going to need at least ten minutes to run the test on the doors." Hermione continued

Fred and George were going to be exceptionally proud of them. This was going to be the biggest disruption the potions room had ever seen. And it was all thanks to Hermione.

They were making pigmentation paste today. It was a thick, purple paste that was used topically on cuts and burns for infections. It also stained the skin purple for a week. There was a delicate stage in the middle when the salamander scales were added. Thanks to Hermione who knew the important interactions of ingredients they knew that salamander scales should never be added to heated pixie wing dust. But today was an exception. Snape needed to be good and distracted while Hermione ran diagnostics on the private storeroom door.

Hermione had been working hard to discover the spells that could show the user what kind of magic had been used on an object. The analytical spells were advanced charms that really only Hermione could have done, but she still needed a bit of time to work the magic.

Since second year, when Hermione had stolen boomslang skin and lacewing flies from Snape's private storeroom, his security had tightened. They knew this because he had personally told all the students that if anyone tried to steal something from his private stores again, he would have them skinned. He had been staring at Harriet when he had mentioned skinning for stealing, and now here she was again trying to rob the potion's master.

They were called in then and everyone took their regular seats.

She was thankful she had a task to focus on in potions because that meant that she could ignore the boy who usually sat at the bench on her right.

Since the Yule Ball, she and Malfoy had not talked. But she had become keenly aware of him. Every time he walked in the room, every time he fidgeted beside her, whenever he was looking at her. She tried to keep indifferent, but she knew he had caught her looking at him a couple times.

Harriet didn't know what to make of the... incident.

She had felt a little regret when she thought back. She had been a bit harsh, especially with her words. However, she really couldn't regret the jinx, because where did he get off thinking he could just steal her first kiss!

The problem was that Malfoy had just become a mystery. And Harriet knew what she was like with a mystery, she just couldn't leave well enough alone. She was so confused as to why he had kissed her at all, and what he meant when he said he had changed. It went just so far outside his modus operandi, in fact, his attitude since the start of the year had been out of character.

She realized she may have to revaluate Malfoy; the problem was, it was Malfoy!

She had been at odds with him since the get-go, she found him hard to read and he was a bigoted pureblood.

He had called Hermione a mudblood in second year.

But then he hadn't called her that since so maybe he regretted it.

And because of his arrogance, Buckbeak was nearly executed.

But that had technically been his father and he hadn't gloried over it.

And Merlin his father wanted to kill her.

But Malfoy himself didn't want to kill her.

He fought with her constantly.

Verbal jibes and she gave as good as she got.

He was a bully.

Except he did save Neville that day in potions, who was his usual victim.

He hated Ron.

Ron hated Malfoy.

He wasn't even good looking.

Okay, that wasn't true, he was cute, but she just didn't want to admit it.

She found herself, extremely confused over all his actions and realized that maybe she didn't know him that well.

There was a strained tension between them that neither of them knew how to break. Harriet wanted to apologize, whilst demanding answers, whilst getting angry about his action's all over again. Many unspoken things lay heavy in the aisle between them and she was confused about what to do about it.

She chanced a glance at him and found him watching her. Their eyes locked and held for a moment, grey and green. She would have to talk with him someday, her conscience wouldn't let her leave it.

But not right now. Right now it was time for some anarchy.

The class got started on the potion. Harriet purposely got fewer salamander scales then what was asked for in the recipe as Hermione needed an excuse to go the supply cupboard. They slowed down the process a bit to match Neville and finally, they saw him put the cauldron on the heat. When Snape had turned to look into Goyle's potion on the other side of the room, Neville, with more stealth than she would have ever given him credit for tipped the blue powder quickly into the potion.

Hermione gave it a minute to heat up, she took a deep breath then casually said that Harriet hadn't grabbed enough salamander scales. She went past Neville up to the front.

Here they go. Harriet watched in trepidation as Neville tipped the salamander scales into the potion.

Later, she would reflect that it was one of the funnier things that she had ever seen in her life, but at the time it was just kind of awe-inspiring.

Neville's cauldron gave a giant blurb as the scales fell in. Then it exploded.

Bubble-gum pink foam shot out of the cauldron like a fountain. There was instantly a smell of swamp in the air. The bubble-gum pink foam hit the roof and splashed everywhere. People started yelling and shielding their faces, but they really should have been shielding their own cauldrons. For as the foam came down it fell into other nearby cauldrons and caused the same reaction. It was like a domino effect as one after another the potions in the room started to spray foam. Soon the entire room was filling with the smelly, thick, soap-suds like substance. Snape had made his way over to Neville through the raining pink foam and screaming kids. Ron pretended to trip and fell right in front of Snape who in turn tripped over him and fell face first, disappearing from view into the now two feet deep foam. A screaming Goyle tripped over Snape while trying to get to the door falling on top of him with a loud 'OOF!" Crabbe, trying to follow Goyle, did the exact same thing a second later, dog-piling on top of Snape.

She watched in amusement as Zabini slipped and knocked Malfoy off his stool and they both fell into the foam. Pansy started screaming about her hair only to run headlong into a cabinet as she tried to shield her head from the raining foam. Ron pretended to get up then trip over Snape again just as Snape had managed to get out from under Crabbe and Goyle, and Snape went down again under Ron's weight.

The room was now waist deep in potion and the foam was still spraying out of cauldrons all over the room. Everyone was trying to make their way out of the dungeon, but the decreased visibility meant people were tripping over each other and objects. The foam itself was quite slippery so everyone was sliding backward and forwards adding an extra element of difficulty.

Fifteen minutes later, after plenty of time for Hermione to run her tests. The entire class was standing in the hallway outside of the classroom. They were all covered head to toe in bubble-gum pink foam and looked like they had run through a carwash. Snape was the last one to leave, with Hermione slipping out right in front of him. The room was still filling with the foam and it was leaking into the Hallway from under the door.

Through the foamy exterior, Harriet could see Snape's black eyes were livid.

He rounded on Neville, "LONGBOTTOM! YOU ABSOLUTE IMBECILE! HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO SCREW UP SO BAD YOU PUT THE WRONG INGREDIENTS INTO THE POTION!"

It would have been more impressive if Snape wasn't a frothy and hot pink. But still, Neville still shrunk into a foamy pink ball.

"It wasn't his fault professor!" Harriet yelled.

"YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Snape turned his livid eyes on her.

"I didn't do anything! But Neville isn't the type to pull pranks, sir. Someone must have put something in Neville cauldron." Harriet said placatingly

The trick with Snape, Harriet had found out a long time ago, was that you couldn't lie to him. She could only lie to herself.

No, technically she hadn't done anything. Neville wasn't the type to pull a prank. Someone did put something into Neville's cauldron, it had just been Neville himself. So she didn't tell a lie, just stretched the truth.

"And you! Is this imbecile prank your doing!" He seethed at her.

"I didn't pull a prank, sir!" Harriet said. It was technically a diversion tactic.

She was saved by McGonagall and Filch rounding the corners with a stampede of students behind them. No doubt brought down by the bangs and screams.

But they all stopped short at the sight of Snape and a bunch of fourth years covered head to toe in bright pink bubbles.

There was silence for a good minute.

" _Sigh_ … students go clean yourselves up. We will be discussing this later." McGonagall just shook her head.

* * *

No one ended up getting in trouble, much to Snape's immense displeasure. Neville bravely claimed that he had not done anything to his potion, and it became assumed that someone had laced is potion ingredients, or purposely meddled with his potion.

Most people thought it was the Slytherin's in the class, but some were taking bets that it had been Fred and George, which made the twins very happy.

The diversion did have a downside though. Because they were dealing with a pigmentation potion all their skin ended up being dyed a very bright pink for a week.

The morning after the incident, much to the rest of the school's amusement, the fourth year Gryffindors came down to breakfast with their skin bright pink. The Gryffindors were embarrassed but they took the ribbing well and most ended up laughing along with everyone else, well except Lavender and Parvati who vowed to not show their faces until it wore off.

The hall laughed harder when very disgruntled and much less easy-going Slytherins came into the Great Hall. She could easily spot Malfoy looking annoyed with his bright pink face and very blond hair.

But the entire hall went deathly silent when Snape walked in. Black from head to toe in his usual garb, except his bubble-gum pink face.

Well, almost the entire hall went silent.

"BWAHAHAHHAHAHHA!" the twins were gasping for breath as they howled.

"WEASLEYS! BE SILENT THIS INSTANT!" Snape snapped, his eyes spitting fire.

"Oh Professor, please don't mind us—" one twin said, probably Fred.

"We are just laughing at a joke we heard last week—" George continued.

"It's about a flamingo and bat that go home together after they meet at a bar—" Fred continued.

"And their poor kid… well, it's not important you just reminded us of it." George said.

The entire hall couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter.

Needless to say, Snape was at his absolute worst that week.


	13. Operation Gillyweed Phase Two

Despite the pink side effect of their diversion, Harriet, Ron, Hermione, and Neville had gotten the information that they needed. They were now ensconced in Ron's room with a big sheet of paper in front of them. Neville was officially invited due to his heroics in the 'bubble-gum' incident as it was now called, but Seamus and Dean had been kicked out.

Dean had given Harry a long look as he left and he looked like he had wanted to stay, but he eventually left.

"Alright, here is what we got." Hermione started, "Snape's private storeroom is in his office. Here."

She had a schematic of the potions dungeon drawn from the Marauder's map. There was the main teaching area, with the benches and desk at the front. Then behind that through a door was Snape's private office. Off the office, there was a small room labeled private cupboard and to the other side was a room labeled Snape's bedroom.

"There are three doors you have to get through Harriet. The outer door to the classroom, the inner door to the office, and the private store cupboard." Hermione continued.

"Now the outer office is easy. It locked with a turn bolt and a basic Alohomora will do the trick. The next bit is where it gets tricky. I do believe that your knife from Sirius will open both the office door and the store cupboards door. It is a very strong magical object you have there, but Snape isn't a fool as has an alarm on both the office and cupboard door. On the office door is a magical tripwire of sorts. You will have to find the source of the spell then place a reflecting charm on it. That will act like a mirror reflecting a laser." Neville and Ron looked lost at the muggle reference, but Harriet actually got the reference.

"The tricky part is finding the source of the tripwire spell without setting it off with magic. We are going to have to practice that. But the reflection charm is easy enough. The same thing is on the inside of the store cupboard. However, there is also a magical signature alarm. It's a small device that detects the magical signatures of those in the room. It is situated here." Hermione said while pointing at a drawing of the inside of the storeroom. It was a crude drawing based purely on Hermione's memory from when she stole the polyjuice potion supplies. She was pointing midway up the right shelf and close to the door.

"These are used at Gringotts to recognize the goblins. This one is a much less extreme version and can be fooled for a minute by a confundo charm. But only a minute and a half Harriet. My scan revealed that it was a very good quality one, so you only have about a minute and a half before it realizes that you aren't Snape."

"Can't I just send another confundo charm at it?" Harriet asked.

"No, unfortunately, it does constant scanning and constant adjusting to recognize if magic is used on it. Second-time won't work," Hermione answered gravely before continuing.

"Then you have to grab the Gillyweed, won't that be a problem because Snape has a lot of supplies? I don't know how you are going to find it in that time. I bet Snape has anti-summoning spells." Neville said nervously.

"It's a good point Neville, but that's why I asked you to look up things with similar properties to gillyweed. Harriet, Snape has ordered everything based on properties, so if you see any of these things on the list," Here she handed Harriet a list of magical ingredients. "Then you are in the right spot."

Harriet looked over the list and saw things like; Kappa bone, water snake scales, thai lichen, and fairy moss clippings.

"You grab it then quietly get out while undoing all your charms. If you don't undo the charms they may be able to trace your magic. I wouldn't put that past Snape's ability." Hermione said.

"Right! Easy." Ron groaned.

"Snape will know it's me regardless. He will ask McGonagall to check the tower. I am going to need somewhere to hide everything." Harriet mused.

"Your right and he will turn the tower upside down for it." Ron nodded.

"So, it can't be hidden in the tower," Neville agreed.

"Do we trust anyone in the other houses enough? I will also have to give the marauder's map, the cloak, and the knife to whoever it is." Harriet said.

"Well the other houses may not be spared either," Hermione said. They contemplated in silence for a while. Then Harriet had an epiphany.

"Dobby!" She said excitedly.

"Do you think he would help?" asked Hermione.

"Are you kidding? That elf loves Harry," Ron exclaimed

"Okay tomorrow we will go visit him and ask," said Hermione. "In the meantime, let's get practicing," Hermione said, while Ron and Neville nodded. Harriet just groaned. More homework.

* * *

Dobby, it turned out, was ecstatic to help.

"Harriet Potter has come to visit Dobby!" Dobby yelled as he launched himself across the room to where Harriet, Ron, and Hermione had just entered the kitchen.

Harriet had visited Dobby several times since the first task. She was always amazed at how eccentrically dressed the little elf was. She saw that he was currently wearing two pairs of the many socks that she had got him for Christmas, one pair on his feet and the other on his ears. He was also wearing Ron's maroon Weasley sweater that he had gifted the little elf.

The little elf launched herself into Harriet's stomach and gave her a hug, which Harriet returned after regaining her balance.

"Hullo, Dobby. Alright?" she asked with a fond smile.

"Yes, misses Harriet, Dobby's well!" the little elf squeaked.

They chatted for a bit about the various going's on, but soon they got down to business.

"Ah well Dobby, we actually wanted to ask you for help." Harriet began. Dobby's eyes glowed.

"Dobby is happy to be helping misses Harriet!"

"Well Dobby, see the thing is, in a bit, I am going to need to hide a few things. But I need them back for the second task you see, and there aren't many people I trust, so I was wondering if you would... store these items for me. In a safe place that no one else will find them." Harriet said. She saw Dobby open his mouth, but she interrupted the elf before he could speak.

"See the thing is Dobby, the reason I need to hide these things is cause I am going to be doing something against the rules. I need to do it so that I can survive the second task. But you could get in trouble if you help me." She said softly.

Dobby was quiet a minute.

"Harriet Potter is a good witch and sometimes being good means, you have to do naughty things. Like when Dobby tried to stop misses Harriet form returning to Hogwarts. Dobby will help misses Harriet." Dobby squeaked with a gleam in his eye.

So, with that done they had just a few more things they needed.

The first was advice. Harriet sent a letter to Sirius with a detailed account of her plan along with a blow by blow of the bubble-gum incident. Harriet was hoping for a reply and a bit of parental advice. She really hoped Sirius didn't try to talk her out of it.

The second was a bag from Gringotts. She had sent Hedwig to Gringotts requesting a withdrawal in a bag of thirty galleons. An absurd amount of money, but a necessary one.

Gillyweed was expensive and Harriet did not feel right taking the amount that she needed without compensation. Ron and Neville both tried to talk her out of this by saying she was practically stamping her name on the theft by being so soft-hearted. But Harriet didn't care, she needed to leave the money.

Hedwig had been a clever owl and delivered the money to her dorm room to stop people from seeing her receive so much money.

Thursday was the best day for the heist. Harriet, Ron, and Hermione started to watch the Marauder's map at night. One of them would stay up late and watch Snape to learn his patterns. For the most part, he was in his quarters after twelve. But they did learn that on Thursday nights he did his rounds. From midnight to one he took over from a prefect and did laps through the castle. All the professors had a night, except Moody who was always holed up in his office.

They had a date. Friday the twenty-second of February was the second task and Harriet wasn't willing to risk trying to get the Gillyweed the night before the task, so they were going to do it this Thursday. Which meant they now had five days to prepare.

Harriet did get a letter from Sirius the next day. He started off by saying that the pink foam incident was one of the funniest things he had read in a long time, and the twins had the most excellent comedic timing.

He was equal parts proud and horrified at Harriet's ability to plan a heist. He wanted her to know that he didn't condone her becoming a professional criminal, but it was okay with her foray into amateur crime against Snape. He said this was exactly what James would have done.

He did make some suggestions though.

 _Make sure to always have a diversion. Either bribe peeves or better yet have some kind of device you can launch. Filibuster fireworks can work great. Make sure you know the routes and possible hiding spots along the way. Having some places in mind will help keep you calm if you need to run. Make sure you don't panic while doing this, just keep going unless there is an obvious mistake then get out of dodge. Your idea to leave money is a dead give away, but you are like your mother so there is no talking you out of this. One last thing is you are going to need a cover story, I happen to have the perfect one…_

Finding a route was a good idea. So Harriet paid extra attention when walking around and noticed corners in which to hide.

Bribing peeves was also a brilliant idea, so she had to go to the experts.

She sat down with the twins to get their advice.

"Well, well, well, looky at this little mischief maker Fred," George said with a wide smirk.

"Indeed, indeed, George," Fred said.

"Listen, guys, I need a distraction and therefore I need to bribe Peeves," Harriet said calmly

"Well, why don't you leave bribing Peeves to us," Fred said.

"And as for a distraction, take these," George gave her three of what could only be described as metal beetles.

"What are they?" she asked.

"They are prototypes," Fred said.

"When you let them loose they will scuttle away in whatever direction, then a minute later they make banging noises." George elaborated.

"Oh! That's great!" Harriet said in awe, "Did you guys make these?"

"Yep! We are certifiable geniuses Harriet, my dear," said Fred.

"What am I getting you in return?" Harriet asked raising an eyebrow. With the twins, you had to make deals.

"Harriet! We are family! You don't owe us anything." George said.

"Except… maybe you could deliver a letter for us." Fred added.

"A letter?" Harriet asked, why couldn't they just use an owl.

"Yes, you see we are wanting to contact one of the judges—" George said.

"But he is difficult to get a hold of," Fred added.

"Since you are in close contact –"

"Could you give a letter to Bagman."

"You're writing to Mr. Bagman? How come?" she asked.

"Ah, never you mind poppet!" Fred said while tweaking her nose.

"Just tell us what time you want your mayhem started." George distracted.

* * *

Thursday came much too fast and finally, it was time for the great heist of '95.

Harriet went to bed early, claiming exhaustion. Ron and Neville both gave her significant looks, trying to say good luck no doubt. As soon as she was up in her the dorm, she changed into her pajamas and put her robe over top and put sneakers on. She then put her knife from Sirius, her beetles, the marauder's map, and the money bag in her pocket. she donned her wand holster and finally donned the invisibility cloak. She closed her curtains to make it seem like she was sleeping.

Just before curfew, Hermione 'came back' from the library. She held the portrait open a little longer than normal and Harriet slipped past her. She made her way quickly down to the dungeons and found a small alcove to hide in. She cast a cushioning charm and a warming charm then squeezed herself into the space. She pulled out the marauder's map and got comfortable where she sat because now it was a waiting game.

It was nerve-wracking and boring to wait for Snape. She kept still if a prefect or Filch walked by, but they didn't even come close to catching her. Soon enough she saw on the map that Snape was starting to move around his chamber. He was getting ready to go and she was ready as well.

Snape left his quarters and walked off around the castle. He was going around of the dungeons first so she had to wait. At one point, he went by her hiding spot, but while he looked into the corner, he didn't see anything and she was in the clear.

Soon he moved on. She had about fifteen minutes until peeves reaped havoc in the astronomy tower and she would have thirty minutes until he returned to the dungeons.

She moved stealthily to the potion's lab door. The reached out her wand and tapped the lock " _alohomora,_ " she whispered.

She closed the door but left it unlocked, then she crossed the dark classroom and reached the office door. She took out her knife and opened the switchblade.

She eased the knife into the keyhole, and the blade seemed to conform exactly to the shape of the lock. She turned and the door unlocked with a click.

She eased the door open but stayed well away from the door jam. Now was the tricky part.

She had become good at detecting Hermione and Ron's tripwire charms in door jams over the week. It was all about finding the point around the jam where the spell originated and then carefully sliding the reflecting spell into place. Sensing the charm itself involved part instinct and part magic. She used a simple spell called _magilico._ It was a weak spell that caused a dim light at the end of the wand to shine brighter when near magic. It was a pretty useless spell though. If someone didn't want something magical to be found, they could easily guard against it with a ward. And in a place like Hogwarts, where the very stone was imbued with magic, the change in intensity of the light was hard to see. So, people also had to rely on the ability to sense magic.

Harriet had found herself getting better at sensing by practicing and she found that she did have some ability for it. But it became glaringly obvious as she spent five minutes just searching for the charm that the ability needed to sense Hermione's unpracticed tripwire charm and Snape's delicately honed tripwire charm was vastly different. She was beginning to panic, this was taking too long.

No, just breath. Deep breath. There you go. Remember Sirius's words.

Slower this time and with much more inner concentration, she ran her wand along the edge of the door jam. Finally, she felt the faintest brush of warmth signaling magic on the bottom corner near the hinge, and the light on her wand shined just slightly brighter as she brushed over it.

Delicately she cast a _flecto speculo_ charm. The end of her wand looked like a looking into the distance in a dessert, where the air became hazy and warped. She slide the slightly warped air at the end of her wand over the spot. Nothing happened so she took it as a good sign.

Now the moment of truth. She stepped over the door jam and tensed.

But nothing happened, so she relaxed. She had done it!

She hurried over to the next door to repeat the process. It had taken her fifteen minutes to get the first door open and she was running out of time.

Peeves would be in the astronomy tower now. She checked her map and saw, as per her prediction, that Snape was in the astronomy tower with Peeves.

She moved to the storeroom door. The slow process of finding the trip wire charm started again, but she didn't open the door this time. It took another ten minutes, but she found it.

She unlocked the door with her knife and got ready, this next part had to be fast.

She checked the map one last time and to her horror, she saw that Snape was moving back towards the dungeons. She still had time though, but not much, and if anything went wrong he was going to be on top of her quick.

She returned the map and the knife to her pocket, but took out the coins and held them with her left hand her wand in her right. Her heart was pounding as she got ready to through the door open and cast her confundus.

Three, two, one, go.

She whipped open the door quickly and turned to the right shelf near the door. By the dim light she saw on the nearest shelf what looked like an oval-shaped crystal ball, which was the magical signature sensor. Her wand flashed and cast her _confundo_ on the device. She had a little over a minute.

Quickly she bent down and cast the reflection charm on where she had memorized the tripwire charm to be. Then she jumped into the room.

She was scanning shelves as quick as she could while mentally counting down. Sixty seconds. She ran her eyes as quick as she could along the eye level shelves searching for anything she recognized from the list. Forty-five seconds. She looked lower and started scanning. Thirty seconds. Dammit, why did his collection have to be so damn big? Twenty seconds.

There! She spotted thai lichen. and quickly scanned the surrounding vials as well as vials further back on the shelf.

She had spotted the gillyweed behind the lichen. She dropped the money bag on the shelf and grabbed the vial, ready to make her escape.

Unfortunately, that is when things went pear-shaped.

Upon removing the vial, she had disrupted some placement alarms on the vial itself. The door to the cupboard slam shut behind her and she heard the office door slam as well a little ways off. Then a loud keening alarm sounded.

SHIT!

Okay, keep calm come on! Quickly she dug in her pocket for her knife while storing the Gillyweed. She also dug for with her right hand for the map. She got the knife out and slipped it into the lock. For a second she thought the lock would not give, but then it turned smoothly and she was free. She waved a quick _finite incantatem_ at the door and her reflective charm disappeared.

She chanced a quick look at the map.

Snape must have a sensor for his office because he was currently flying to the dungeons. He was hustling hard because he was making serious strides and he would get down to the dungeon quick. But she knew the direction he was coming from, and mentally she planned an escape route.

Before she turned her attention to the office door that she was about to unlock she very briefly caught sight of something very strange on the map. The name Barty Crouch was down a couple corridors and hurrying away from the potion's lab.

What was he doing here?

She got the knife into the door and opened it, threw a _finite incantatem_ , then hustled across the room to the dungeon outer doors.

She came out of the classroom flying at a dead sprint and started a race as she had never run before.

She had always been fast but Harriet had only run like this once before, when she had run to the lake to save Sirius. She was taking corners fast and was not slowing. Her invisibility cloak flew behind her like a cape.

But she wasn't surprised when she heard fast footsteps a few corridors behind her. Snape had caught up and probably heard her feet echo on the stone. There was a fork in the corridor coming up. So she reached her hand in her pocket and grabbed the beetles from the twins.

As she came to the fork in the road she threw the beetles down the other corridor without even looking. She had slowed her pace as she came to the fork and made her footfalls as silent as possible.

She stopped completely stopped at the fork and spared a moment to toe off her sneaker and pick them up so she would be quieter in just socks.

Which may have been a mistake because Snape was now at the end of the corridor just a halls length behind her. She tiptoed as quietly as she could forward. There was a small nook in the wall that could be easily overlooked and if she could get to it Snape was unlikely to find her.

It was nerve-wracking to move as quietly as possible forward while listening to Snape come up behind her fast. Her heart was pounding and she was desperately trying to control her breathing from her mad dash.

It was a miracle she made it and crouched down to fit herself in the nook. She squished in tight and made sure the invisibility cloak was completely covering her as she huddled down. She placed her hand over her mouth and nose trying to be as quiet as possible with her breathing. Unfortunately, her lungs were burning from running, so it was difficult.

She crouched down not a moment too soon as Snape came speeding by her. He was moving slower than before but still rushing forward, obviously trying to listen for the footsteps.

She sent up a silent prayer of thanks as Snape strode past her, but had to take back the sentiment quickly. Snape stopped dead at the junction to a new corridor and stood frozen for a moment. Slowly he turned around and narrowed his eyes at the seemingly deserted corridor.

 **SHIT!**

Harriet felt her heart leap into her throat as he came stalking back down the corridor like a sleek jungle cat, his eyes narrowed and predatory. His arm was outstretched, and waving in front of him and into crannies in the corridor. He was looking for someone he couldn't see. He knew it was her.

He inched forward ears strained. He was coming closer and closer. She stopped breathing altogether and willed her heart to stop beating so bloody loud. He was pretty much on top of her. He was going to reach down any second.

 _Clang, bang, clack, clang_

The loud noises echoed from down the other hall and Snape took off like an Olympic sprinter in search of the noise.

She took a huge gulp of air when he was far enough away.

She very quickly stood up and also took off at a much quieter sprint now that her shoes were off. With the map, it didn't take her long to get up to Gryffindor tower. But she also noticed that Snape had some idea of what had happened because he had was also hurrying up to Gryffindor tower. She made it to the Fat Lady first and said the password quietly. The Fat Lady kept snoring but opened.

She jumped into the common room but very quickly and quietly closed the door behind her.

As she turned, she saw Neville, Ron, Hermione, and Dobby all standing and looking at where she was.

"Blimey Harriet! You made a ton of bloody noise with all the banging and wailing." Ron said looking amused.

"No time! Bed now, talk later! Snape incoming! Here Dobby, go!" she pushed cloak, the knife, and the gillyweed into Dobby's hands. Dobby's arms quickly grabbed all the items as they were thrust at him.

He disappeared with a pop, and the rest of them scrambled for their beds. Harriet took out the map, took off her robe, then stuffed the robe and her shoes hastily under her bed. Hermione was already lying down pretending to be asleep. She followed suit and quickly got under the covers while opening the map. She saw the dots of Snape and McGonagall outside the portrait hole obviously talking.

"Mischief managed." She put the map under her pillow.

At the last second, she remembered she was still wearing her wand holster and unlaced it and tucked it under her pillow as well. Then she lay down and did her best to calm her beating heart and pretend to be asleep.

Ten minutes later she heard someone come to their door and open it. McGonagall did a head count and then moved on. Nothing else happened that night although she half expected to be dragged out of bed for questioning by Snape. Fortunately, that would wait till tomorrow.


	14. Alibi

She wasn't sure how it had happened, but by breakfast the next morning, it was a wildly known fact that Snape's private storeroom had been broken into. Everyone knew that the thief had conspired with Peeves to create a distraction, everyone knew that the thief had gotten past multiple wards and pitfalls, and everyone knew that the thief had left a bag of galleons in compensation for the loss of a rare magical ingredient.

In short, everyone knew (or strongly suspected) that Harriet had done it.

Snapes' eyes were dark pools of hate as they surveyed Harriet walking in late for breakfast. The tension from Snape was palpable from across the great hall. The student body was looking back and forth trying to read Harriet's reaction and gauge Snape's anger.

Harriet took on a nonchalant attitude as the great hall buzzed around her. She tried to appear awake and not severely sleep deprived as she was. She sat down next to Hermione and calmly fixed herself breakfast.

Except for Ron, Hermione and Neville everyone at the table was staring at her. Eyebrows raised. the twins looked like she announced it was Christmas again.

She just calmly turned to Hermione and asked what was on the list today. They had a list of spells, Hermione wanted Harriet to perfect before the task and they were working through them each day. She tried to pretend that nothing was amiss, but oh... she couldn't really resist.

"What's going on?" she asked Lavender, trying for innocent curiosity.

Ron snorted and ducked his head, Neville had to duck his head as well. Hermione just silently groaned, and the twin's looked like a couple of hyenas with their manic grinning.

Lavender just raised an eyebrow as if to say 'really?'

She looked across the great hall and saw looks ranging from reproach to awe. She noticed that over at the Slytherin table, both Zabini and Malfoy were hiding their grins behind their morning Goblet of pumpkin juice. However, most of the Slytherins looked at her nastily, obviously taking offense on behalf of their head of house.

A quick glance at the staff table told her that most of them were a strange combination of worried and amused. Moody was an exception as he had a giant shit-eating grin on his face that told everyone exactly where he stood on the matter, and Dumbledore was ignoring the happenings around him in favor of his breakfast.

McGonagall and Snape were in a heated discussion at the table. Snape was gesturing to her and McGonagall's face was stony. Harriet turned back to Hermione and ate her breakfast.

She was midway through when heard a couple highback chair scrape the ground and the entire hall started to quiet down. But she kept her focus on Hermione's notebook, making little notes about practice numbers while she heard two sets of footsteps approach her. When they stopped in front of her and the great hall was completely silent, she looked up. Snape and McGonagall were on the opposite side of the table and were standing directly behind Ron and Neville who had shrunken down in their seats.

" _Miss Potter,"_ Snape said in a quiet hiss. "You will report to Professor McGonagall's office."

"Er… Okay, sir, I'll just finish breakfast then make my way over," she said trying for confusion.

"You will report NOW!" He snapped.

"Severus!" McGonagall reproached. "Miss Potter finish your breakfast in the next fifteen minutes. Perhaps by then some of us can calm down," she said sternly with a significant look at Snape.

Ah, good ol' McGonagall. She was a badass witch who wouldn't take any of Snape's attitude.

"Okay, Professor," Harriet said with an obliging but slightly confused face. Maybe if she got expelled today, she could become an actress.

The Gryffindors all gave her significant looks as she stood up to leave exactly ten minutes later. The twins started humming a funeral march as she walked along and soon most of the school had joined in. She made her way out of the doors, up to Professor McGonagall's office and knocked on the hard oak.

"Enter," McGonagall called.

"Professors," she said as she walked in. McGonagall was seated at her desk and Snape was standing to the side.

"Sit," she said indicating the chair in front of her.

"Do you know why you were called in here today Miss Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"No, professor, but everyone is saying something about Professor Snape's storeroom." She answered honestly.

"And what do you know about my storeroom?" Snape asked.

"Not much Sir," keep it honest with Snape. You honestly don't know much about what's in his storeroom.

"My Private store cupboard was broken into last night. And some ingredients were stolen. The thief then left thirty galleons in its place." Snape said, very softly. "And I believe you know who did this."

She just gave him a confused look.

"Miss Potter, what did you do last night?" McGonagall interrupted.

"Not much professor. I finished my charm's essay in the common room after dinner, but I was really exhausted, so I went to bed early." She said.

"And yet, you are still looking quite tired this morning." Snape spat.

"Had some nightmares," Which wasn't untrue. She was quite regularly getting nightmares. Snakes, black smokey forms with red eyes, green lights and the tall gray men. Not to mention Snape cursing the bejeezus out of her, that had been a reoccurring nightmare recently.

Snape just scowled and McGonagall gave her a concerned look.

"Tell me, Miss Potter, how are you coming along on your second task?" Snape asked changing the subject.

"Ah… well actually. I am mostly prepared. I am just waiting on one thing I ordered then it will be perfect."

"Do you have a plan?" Snape asked again coldly.

She looked backward at the door like she was checking the coast was clear.

"Yes, I assume you know what the task is, so I'm going to use gillyweed," She told them like it was a great secret.

Oh, the stunned look on Snape's and McGonagall's faces. She wanted to snap a picture and send it to Sirius. This was all his idea for a cover story after all.

"YOU! YOU ADMIT IT!" Snape crowed. "YOU LITTLE THIEF, YOU STOLE THE GILLYWEED, THE BOOMSLANG SKIN, AND LACEWING FLIES."

Well now she was confused, she didn't take those last two.

"Miss Potter is this true!?" McGonagall asked sharply.

"No, I didn't steal anything!" Harriet said. Technically she one-sided bought the gillyweed. And she didn't take the other two, that had been Hermione in second year. Or was Snape talking more recently?

For the second time, they both wore stunned faces.

"Liar!" Snape spat.

"Severus!" McGonagall tried to control the situation. "Miss Potter, how did you get Gillyweed?"

"I ordered it." Her only outright lie so far.

"She lies again! You must be a class five potions master to order it or have a special license. You could not have ordered it."

"True sir, but I didn't technically order it myself. Mr. Remus Lupin helped me. He is friends with a potion master down in Italy who is a fan and was willing to give up his Gillyweed. It was really lucky that I figured out the clue when I did because it needs to be harvested at low tide in the darkness of a new moon. I got to him when he still had some in his store left."

McGonagall was giving her a heavily skeptical look and Snape looked livid.

"Can you prove this," McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have some back and forth letters from Mr. Lupin." Doctored letters from the excellent forger Sirius Black. But she did have some separate, unrelated letters from Remus Lupin, so it wasn't a lie.

"I am sure you could write to him and ask," Harriet said innocently. She had sent a letter to Remus Lupin yesterday detailing her plan and his role in it. She was hoping he would cover for her.

"Let's see your gillyweed Miss Potter." Snape spat. Obviously, he would be able to tell if it was his. He probably had it weighed down to the milligram.

"Well, sir that's the part I am waiting on. They promised that it would be here before the task and now I am just waiting for it to get here." They being Dobby. "A bit nerve-wracking really, I wish it would just hurry up." She said trying to act nervous.

Snape was grinding his teeth. He wasn't buying it for a minute. But the next time he would see that gillyweed it would be going down her gullet. McGonagall also looked like she didn't quite believe her but seemed strangely relieved she had such an airtight story.

"Alright Miss Potter, here is a late pass. You may head to your class, they are about to start." McGonagall said while looking extremely exasperated.

Harriet knew that she had pushed Snape's patience hard this last month and had taken risks with that man that she normally would not have. It was unfortunate because she had really appreciated him apologizing back in October. She felt like she had gained some understanding with the man, but now she was back to the beginning in terms of their relationship. In other words, he was back to loathing her because she was exactly like her 'arrogant' father, his words.

Kind of understandable considering she had pulled a massive prank and then robbed him. But she promised that she would be a perfect angel in his class for the rest of the year and try not to push his buttons anymore.

She walked in a couple minutes late into her Friday morning of double charms.

The entire class froze and watched as she made her way up to the front of the class.

"Sorry I am late Professor. I have a slip from Professor McGonagall." She said calmly.

Flitwick took the parchment with a slightly amused quirk of his lips.

"Oh, course Miss Potter. Is everything alright?" He was trying to get information. The small man was such a gossip.

"Of course, sir." She said with a smile, indicating to the class and Flitwick that yes, she had just practically got away with murder.

"Indeed, Miss Potter." He said with the same exasperated relief that McGonagall expressed. She turned to walk back to her desk, and she heard him mumble 'thank Merlin she isn't in Ravenclaw.'

As she sat down to get started on charms, she allowed herself one cheeky smile at the amused Ron and the harried Hermione.

Gryffindor's tower had undergone a search later that evening but besides some alcohol in the older student's dorms, they had turned nothing up of note. Certainly not Gillyweed, or invisibility cloaks, or magical knives.

Operation Gillyweed had been a success.

One thing bugged her though. She swore she had seen Barty Crouch that night, and this just added to the mystery surrounding Barty Crouch. Perhaps he was the key to finding out how her name got into this bloody tournament.

* * *

The day of the second task dawned overcast and grey. She woke early and forewent a shower. She would just be having one later. But she did don her housecoat and slip into the bathroom to wait. Soon there was the tell-tale pop, of Dobby appearing in the bathroom.

"Miss Harriet Potter!" Dobby squeaked. She shushed him due to the sleeping girls next door. Dobby nodded and whispered.

"Dobby has brought miss Harriet her things," Dobby said handing over all her objects, the cloak, the knife, and the Gillyweed.

"Dobby you are amazing," she said with relief. Dobby ears started flapping with the compliment.

"I have to get ready now Dobby, will you be watching the tournament?" She asked.

"Yes, Harriet Potter! Headmaster Dumbledore has been setting a Videus screen in the kitchen! And the elves are so excited to be's seeing Miss Potter!" Dobby said excitedly.

"Thanks, Dobby." Feeling weirdly relieved she knew her friend would be watching.

Dobby left after a hug and then she went back into the room to stash her things and get dressed. She looked over to Hermione's bed and saw the curtains still closed.

Hermione had been called to McGonagall's office late last night and Harriet had decided that she needed an early night. Surprisingly she fell to sleep easily. She had been stressing herself in the lead up to the second task and it must have caught up.

She grabbed the clothes for the day for the day and her hairbrush. She had decided that she would wear her Tournament uniform down but that she would ditch the robe and just brave the water in her black long sleeve and black pants.

She changed quickly, mentally going through spells she had learned trying not to think about the butterflies in her stomach. The very purposely slipped the vial of Gillyweed into her left pocket so it would not be forgotten. She made sure her hand Holster was tight on her arm and her wand secure then started to brush through her hair. She heard Parvati and Lavender stirring and decided to ask for help again.

"Parvati or Lavender?" They both looked up as she came in. Again, marveling at her uniform.

"Yeah?"

"Would one of you help me with a braid? I need my hair out of my face." She said.

Parvati ended up helping her, she fixed a high, tight, ponytail and then braided the ponytail. The long braid now swung behind her out of the way for a day in the water.

Parvati and Lavender decided to head down after and left her with a wave. Harriet walked over to Hermione's bed deciding that Hermione had slept long enough.

She pulled back the curtains and saw that Hermione's bed was empty. The covers looked untouched. The first niggling of dread came to her then and started on her stomach. Maybe Hermione had gone down to breakfast.

She went quickly to the common room and saw Neville leaving.

"Neville! Wait!" she called. Neville turned to look at her. She saw Seamus and Dean in front of him and they turned as well.

"Hey, guys. Have you seen Ron?" she asked.

Surprisingly Dean looked annoyed by the question and Seamus shot Dean a grimace. Neville just looked mildly curious.

"No, I didn't see him this morning. We thought he was off somewhere with you and Hermione preparing." Neville said.

"Oh…right… thanks." She said on autopilot.

Oh Merlin, she knew what had been taken. Hermione and Ron were at the bottom of the lake.

The lines of the clue rang in her ears and turned her stomach.

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back!_

There was now officially no way she was going to lose! She would not fail them. They were her family and she had to succeed for them. Still, the thought of losing Ron or Hermione churned her stomach.

Wait, Hermione had probably been taken for Krum. But it didn't really matter. She wasn't leaving either of them.

She was in a dazed state as she walked over down to the great hall mechanically and she was almost there when an arm came out from behind one of the secret passage tapestries and grabbed her own. She was dragged behind the tapestry and she turned to face her attacker.

Except it was Malfoy, and by the look on his face he wasn't interested in attacking her. There was a moment of silence as they both stared at each other. Malfoy, she noticed, kept his hand on her arm despite her obviously not fighting to get away. She found her mouth a little dry, she really couldn't think about Malfoy right now.

"W-what do you need Malfoy? I am a little busy this morning." She asked quietly. He seemed to swallow.

"I… just wanted to wish you luck, with… whatever you have to do." He seemed nervous.

She felt guilty looking at him and she remembered her words thrown in his face at Christmas. But her worry about her friends was trumping all her other feelings.

"I have to save Ron." She said feeling sick. His eyebrows raised. "And if I don't, he could be gone forever." Her dread seeping into her voice. "Hermione too."

"Hey... um... relax," He said, seeming to realize that she was in a bit of a state. "Listen, Weasley is going to be fine. You're saving him after all, he has the best person on the job."

She gave him an incredulous look, "You hate Ron." She said, stating what she thought was obvious.

"Hmmff, of course I do. He's hanging out with you all the time!" Malfoy said with a petulant grumble. "but he's your… well, you and Weasley are close and whatever."

His admission of jealousy surprised her out of her dread state, and she couldn't help letting out an unladylike snort at his admission.

"You're jealous?" she stated incredulously. Malfoy's cheeks turned pink and his eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Please! Of a Weasley." He crossed his arms. She found herself amused as she usually was by his cranky attitude.

"Pfft. Whatever… Thanks, Malfoy." She gave him a smile. And he looked slightly less grumpy.

There was a moment of awkward silence. There was the nervous tension again, and Harriet was fidgety all of a sudden.

"Ron is like my brother," she blurted out after a moment. Why had she said that? "We just get along really well, and he has been along on all my stupid adventures, you know. But we fight still, and man was I ever mad at him at the start of the year, but then we made up like siblings, and he has been helping me since, and his family likes me a lot, and he is like my Fred, if I was George, but we don't look alike of course but…"

Why wasn't she shutting up.

Malfoy was giving her a look like he thought she was crazy. And the awkward silence was back.

"Um…right. I get it, really, I do. You and Weasley and Granger... peas in a pod." Malfoy said with an amused smile.

"Er… yep." She said. Then she remembered where her best friends currently were and the worry came back to gnaw on her stomach.

"I have to go," she said while turning to leave. He seemed disappointed, as his shoulders drooped somewhat, and he looked away.

"But… maybe we should have a frank talk sometime," she said hesitantly. She should apologize, and then ask what the heck he had been talking about that night. He seemed to perk up, and he nodded.

She left then and made her way to the great hall only to discover that there were five minutes left before breakfast ended. She managed to eat the piece of toast that was placed in front of her by Neville.

The food cleared and Dumbledore asked the Champions again to follow Hagrid. She walked with determination down to the lake, not taking note of anything but the great body of water in front of her. She was told to wait on the side of the water, but she was itching to go. They only had an hour. What if something happened to them.

She barely noticed the stands set up on the beach being filled with spectators, both students and ministry officials.

Finally, Bagman came over to where they were standing.

"Alright you lot? We are almost ready to go we just have to put the Videus Charms on you." Bagman said. He waved over Mr. Holly to put the charm on, "Harriet would you mind if I borrowed you for a bit?" Bagman asked.

He led her over to the side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, Harriet? Do you have a plan?" He whispered.

"Ah, yes." She answered.

"Don't need any help? I could give you some advice." He said his eyes widening with implication.

"No thanks, I have this," Harriet said while giving Mr. Bagman a confused look.

"Well alright," Bagman said looking unhappy.

"I actually have a letter for you though," she said as she handed over the letter. The twins had given it to her at breakfast.

"Oh?" said Bagman looking confused, he took it though.

"Yes, it's from Fred and George Weasley, you met them at the quidditch world cup." She said and she watched as the smile on his face became fixed in place and mechanical.

"Ah yes! Right, right. Well best be getting back over there Harriet, we will be starting soon." He said slightly panicky.

She was led back over to the others and the wizard from the first task, Mr. Holly, came forward and started waving his wand over her. She felt again the sensation of eyes watching her and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as she flashed with a red light.

She looked up and saw that floating above the lake were four very large screens. Her face filling one of them, while the rest were likewise filled with Cedric, Fleur, and Krum.

They all looked pale but determined.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament." Bagman's voice rang out. She hadn't even noticed that he had returned to the judging table. The crowd roared and stamped their feet. Harriet was reminded sickly that she was being watched by all magical Europe. She really tried to forget that fact.

"Now our esteemed panel of Judges, I am Ludo Bagman and head of Magical Sports and Competition for the British Ministry of Magic and a retired beater of the esteemed Quidditch team the Wimbleton Wasps. Representing our head of Magical International Cooperation Mr. Bartimus Crouch is his assistant Percy Weasley. Next to him is Headmaster Igor Karkaroff of Drumstrang School of Magic. Madam Maxine of Beuxbaton Academie de Magique, and High Wicken of the Representatives of Magical Women in Europe, as well as a Wizmagot seat holder within the French Ministry. And finally, the host of the event, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as Supreme Mugwump of the ICO, Grand Sorcier, Chief Warlock of the Wizmegot, and holder of Order of Merlins first class." The Crowd roared for the judges.

"And now our young but brilliant competitors. From Drumstrang, and Seeker for the Bulgarian World Cup team, Victor Krum!" The crowd cheered.

"From Beuxbaton's, and a Liaison des Etudiant for her school, the lovely Fleur Delacour." Again, cheers and Fleur raised her hand like a queen to the crowd.

"From Hogwarts, and Hufflepuff Prefect, the charismatic Cedric Diggory." Another loud cheer!

"And our surprise competitor, the youngest of the four, and credited with defeating a Dark Lord as an infant, a warm welcome to Harriet Potter!" Her face felt hot with the cheers. She really wished that they could just get on with it.

"As a quick reminder, Harriet is in the lead at the moment with forty-four points. Fleur follows with forty-two points and Cedric in third with forty-one. Krum brings up the rear with thirty-nine points. It is a tight race with only five points between the leader and final place." Ludo said with excitement.

"Now to the task. The students have an hour for their task. Points are deducted for going over time and given for how well they handle any surprises in the lake. They will be under for an hour searching for something precious that has been taken from them, they must find it and bring it back as soon as possible. Now contestants please prepare."

Harriet took the gillyweed vial out of her pocket and then took off the outer robe of her uniform. She also kicked off her shoes and socks then flicked her wand into her right hand.

She noticed from beside her, that Cedric and Krum were donned in swimming trunks and both had their chest bare showing off muscled upper bodies, especially Krum. Fleur was also in a sleek looking silver one piece and looked like a swimsuit model. Merlin, life was unfair.

Harriet immediately felt silly in her clothes. Just in the black long-sleeve shirt and pants, it looked like she did not get the memo. At least it kind of looked like she was wearing a wet suit, but then again, she doubted that many wizards knew what a wetsuit was.

Well, it was a bit late now.

"Right everyone is ready," Bagman said with excitement. "We will begin in… three… two…one… GO!"


	15. Dangers of the Deep

There was a loud bang like a starting gun. Cedric, Fleur, and Krum immediately ran into the water. Harriet turned her wand on herself and started wading in after them.

 _"Sonorus aquacsis,"_ she said while pointing at her throat. A clever spell that would allow her to speak under water.

She then stuffed the gillyweed in her mouth and chewed the disgusting, rubbery weed, trying to control her instinct to gag. The gillyweed seemed to slide down her throat in a lump.

She was then standing chest deep in the cold water and feeling a bit silly. She was waiting for a change, but what if it didn't work? She started to hear tittering from behind her.

Then finally something happened, and she felt a sharp pain in her fingers, feet, eyes, and neck.

She brought her hand up to her neck and felt strange slits appear. Gills!

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe, like someone had stuffed a pillow over her face. She instinctively dived into the water and took a big gulp.

It felt like breathing! And she didn't even notice the cold of the water.

She looked down and noticed that her eyesight was clear despite being underwater, and her hands and feet were now webbed. Her feet had even elongated and looked like flippers!

She experimentally went forward and found herself shooting through the water powerfully. This was fantastic!

She took off then, feeling much more confident. She had an hour and fifteen minutes worth of gillyweed, and she was not going to stop until she knew her friends were safe.

Down and deeper she went, following along the bottom for the moment. Down, down, down. The water became darker and darker. The dim light made every shadow a terrifying sea creature. It was nerve-wracking in the muted silence of the lake.

She didn't know where to look for the mermaid village and she wished there was someone she could ask.

Surprisingly her prayers were answered after about ten minutes of swimming. There was a moaning coming from just over a rock.

She peeked around and was surprised to find Myrtle floating listlessly along.

"Myrtle!" she said, her voice sounded echoey like a sonar or a whale song.

"Oh, hullo Harry, oooohhhhh" she moaned.

"What are you doing here Myrtle?" she asked curiously

"Well, I got flushed down again, didn't I?! Those horrid little girls did it on purpose" she wailed.

"Oh, um… that must be rough. I'm sorry about that Myrtle, I'll put a sign on your stall door when I get back up, how about that?"

"Would you! Oh, thank you, Harry!" Mrytle perked up. "Are you looking for the Mermaids?"

"Yeah, but I am not sure where to start!" She said looking worried.

"I know where they are! The Mervillage is in the deepest part of the lake where underground tunnels connect the waterways. It is over on the left, you keep going that direction and you will find it. But they are always so rude to me." She huffed while pointing off to her left.

"Myrtle! Thanks so much! You are the greatest!" she exclaimed. Myrtle looked very happy with the compliment, and Harry started off in that direction.

"Oh, and Harry, if you die you can come visit me in my toilet okay!" Myrtle called happily.

"Er… thanks, Myrtle, I'll keep it in mind." She called as she swam away.

* * *

"Oh, what an extraordinary stroke of luck for Harriet!" Bagman called.

"But zat iz cheeting no?" Madam Maxine asked.

"She technically did not ask for help. Myrtle just supplied it." Percy said sounding very official.

"I have to agree with Mr. Weasley on this, the actions of Myrtle were prompted by friendship. And there are no rules against stopping for directions." Dumbledore added his eyes twinkling.

The rest of the crowd just laughed at Harriet's insane dumb luck.

* * *

Harriet's luck couldn't hold forever.

Not five minutes later she was attacked.

Due to her ears having also been changed to hear through the water, she heard the swish from behind her a moment before the attack happened, and thus was able to move out of the way.

A large black shaped flashed over and Harriet got buffeted by the waves.

She looked up and took in the sight of a massive Kelpie in front of her.

Kelpies were shapeshifters and were, for the most part, peaceful creatures that only attacked to defend their territory. On occasion though, Kelpies became nasty.

This was one of those times. It had the body of a horse, but the back part was a large silver fishtail. The fur was dark, and the mane was a wild tangle of dark hair. The eyes were large and cloudy blue. Parts of its bone structure seemed to peak through its flesh making it look like a zombie. The real terrifying part, however, was the large fangs that protruded from the horse's mouth. This thing was no joke and seemed to have crawled right out of someone's nightmares.

The Kelpie dived again at her and she just got out of the way by darting to the side. She cast a water specified stunning spell at it as it flew by her.

"S _tupwaterios!"_ The spell hit the Kelpie's flank and Harriet heard the Kelpie let out a strange gurgled whinny.

She was already swimming as fast as she would in the direction of the Mervillage. But the Kelpie must have shaken the curse because she heard it behind her, and she cast a look back.

With her fins, Harriet was fast, but the Kelpie was faster and gaining.

She dipped down into a mass of craggy boulders she saw below her. Weaving between the twisted rock bed. Through holes in the rock and tight turns around towers. The Kelpie followed but had to slow due to its bulk in the narrow gaps. Harry gained a few precious seconds. She remembered from third year her lessons with Lupin. Kelpie's had strong hides but had points of weakness like most creatures. She needed to hit the Kappa somewhere it was more vulnerable, like the eye or mouth.

She saw the edge of a rock coming up and made a decision to take a stand. She raced forward as fast as she could with the Kelpie close behind her.

As she passed the edge she grabbed it and held fast. Her momentum brought her into a tight turn, while the Kelpie went past and took a much wider and slower U-turn. The momentum brought Harriet spinning around before the Kelpie could orient itself, and Harriet was brought very close to the large creature.

She raised her wand and had a direct shot at its face.

" _Stupwaterios!"_ Bullseye!

The Kelpie froze in an awkward twisted position, its jaws open and it's neck trained to take a bite out of her, but now it just drifted away like a grotesque statue. Harriet breathed a sigh of relief that it had worked but didn't want to see how long her spell would hold, so she quickly swam away from the nightmarish creature.

* * *

The crowd cheered and let out sighs of relief as they watched the action of Harriet versus the large zombie Kelpie.

"Oh, she handled that very well! Very well indeed! And that Kelpie was a big one, wasn't it?" Bagman called. "Very smart to get a shot at the eye where it was weakened, yes very clever."

"Oh, and look now, Krum is taking on a kelpie as well!"

And the crowd is turned their attention to Krum's screen.

* * *

She had been under twenty minutes and now swam towards a kelp forest.

The tall strands seemed ominous, as they waved quietly and silently in the water.

She entered the forest and tried to quickly swim through the kelp. The forest seemed vast and the kelp was tall. If anything it was darker in the kelp strands and quieter. Harriet had that foreboding feeling like something was watching her and not just all of the wizarding world.

Then the noises began.

It was a series of clicks and chirps, that sounded from around her, but the creatures were disguised in the kelp.

She remembered this from Lupin's class as well… Grindylows.

Alright don't panic, grindylows' have strong grips but brittle bones. She gripped her wand tighter and tried to go faster.

Soon however she felt one of them grab her. It reached out and snagged her ankle. She spun fast already ready.

" _Percusso!"_ from her wand shot a powerful percussion that moved the water. It hit the Grindylows fingers and she saw two of them snap. The Grindylow screeched and let go. While she had been distracted with the first one though, a second one had reached out and gripped her left arm _._

 _"Percusso!"_ Now free she tried to move forward, but more were reaching out. She stopped two more, but they were gathering en mass behind her. She swam as fast as she could and the Grindlylows followed her like a swarm of bees.

She weaved through the kelp, trying to not be caught in the kelp like a fish caught in a net.

A net!

Time to do McGonagall proud. She aimed her wand in front of her and pictured hard in her mind's eye what she wanted. It should be easy enough, she wasn't changing the material she was changing the shape.

 _"Morpheus tangelissu,"_ the kelp in front of her started to weave and meld, forming the shape of a large net that looked like it reached from far below all the way to the top of the kelp in a perfect sheet, about ten feet in width _._

She swam faster as the holes in the net were closing quickly and she had to get through before it closed.

She just barely had room to swim her way through one of the holes in her net before it shrunk and joined to become part of her tall net of kelp.

A couple of Grindylows got through but most of the silly creatures ran into the net and got their arms tangled. She chanced a glance back to see her net as a squirming ball of kelp and tentacles.

The few Grindylows that got through chased her, but she just sent a few spells in their direction and they backed off.

Regardless, she kept swimming hard until finally, the kelp thinned, and she left the forest altogether.

* * *

"Amazing, some excellent transfiguration by Miss Potter! Professor McGonagall, you must be proud!" Bagman shouted.

Everyone chanced a glance at McGonagall who had a rather smug look on her face.

"Oh, and look here, Miss Delacour is also being stalked by Grindylows as well. Oh no, I don't think she realizes. Ah, there we go, she has seen them. Oh, excellent move there. Another good move, yep she got that one. Uh oh, she didn't see them do that. Oh no, she is looking stuck. Come on Fleur."

Unfortunately, though, she was good and caught and in quite a bit of trouble. Fortunately rescued arrived and managed to pull her out.

"Unfortunate, but Fleur is now out for the second task and was unable to get her possession"

Fleur was pulled from the lake looking scratched and very worried.

* * *

Harriet kept swimming. She had been in the lake for forty minutes. Finally, she heard something similar.

" _Come seek us where our voices sound."_ The song!

She sped up her pace and dropped lower into what looked like a large underwater canyon. Like before, the rocks twisted and formed structures, creating an underwater architecture.

She followed the voices that were getting louder and louder.

She finally turned the corner and was met with an amazing sight. There was a village square with houses carved into the surrounding rock. She saw that the houses were centered around a large Gazebo like structure in the center.

She saw the Merfolk, peering out of holes lining the wall, or else out in the open looking at her with curiosity. They were not like the _Little Mermaid_ kind of Mermaids. They had dark green tails, flat fishlike faces, and large eyes. Their hair was different shades of greens and blues and thick like dreadlocks, however, Harriet suspected they just grew in thick strands. Their skin was shades of green, and she saw that they had sharp teeth.

Her attention was brought to the center where she saw four figures floating and tied by the ankle to a rock.

She saw Ron and Hermione in the middle of the four still in their school robes. On Ron's right, Cho Chang's long black hair floated around her head, and to Hermione's left, a young, very blonde girl floated. She was a miniature Fleur and must be her sister.

She discreetly stowed her wand aware that the Merfolk did not trust wands. She also focused her attention on a large, wild looking mermaid holding a trident. She was draped in beads and she surveyed Harriet imperiously as Harriet approached. She was obviously the Chieftan.

Harriet stopped in front of her and spread her arms in a sign that said 'I mean no harm' in mermish. Then she bowed her head and said, "May you rule many tides, I am Harriet Potter, thank you for allowing me to enter."

This seemed good because immediately the Mermaids started chattering and all spread their arms back at her. It looked like they all wanted to give her hugs, but from the book she had read by Newt Scamander, this meant that she was she was welcome.

"Welcome Harriet," the chieftain said in a voice that sounded like waves crashing on the shore, and she smiled. It would have been reassuring if the merfolks teeth weren't so sharp.

"Your prize." She said, indicating the floating people.

She nodded and swam over to Ron and Hermione. She floated between them and reached out her hands to place her hands on their cheeks. They were both still warm, and little bubbles would float out of their mouths, it looked like they were sleeping. She moved her fingers down to where she knew the pulse was basically supposed to be, and she was immensely reassured when they both had strong pulses.

"Only one." The chieftain said behind her, watching her.

She swallowed and nodded, still looking worriedly at her friends.

Then she dove down to the lake bed. She didn't want to use her wand if she didn't have to in the presence of the merpeople.

She found a sharp rock and swam back up to Ron. She then worked on the rope and it quickly gave away. Ron was now free. She then took hold of Ron's arm and turned to watch the gloom.

* * *

"Well, now Harriet has charmed the Merpeople and has her prize at the forty-five-minute mark. It looks like she is in the clear and going to finish quickest in this task as well. But wait…" Bagman paused looking incredulous.

"She isn't leaving, what is she doing? Is she waiting for the other competitors?"

"Harriet! You noble git!" Yelled one of the twins.

"You don't have to save everyone!" Yelled the other.

The crowd burst into whispers.

"Harriet you're meant to win!" Someone yelled.

"Ugh, she has such a hero complex!" Yelled another.

* * *

Soon Cedric also found the village. He eyed the merpeople but didn't waste time and went straight to Cho. He took out his wand and was about to cast a cutting curse, but Harriet stopped him.

"Wait, Cedric! Wands make them uncomfortable," she said quietly in her echoey voice to Cedric and indicated the now mean looking Merpeople around them who were clutching their spears tighter.

He nodded and took the stone she offered him. He cut Cho free and took off for the surface. Before he left though he turned to Harriet and tapped his wrist indicating the time. She just nodded.

They had been under for fifty minutes. And Cedric breached the surface and swam back with five minutes to spare.

The hour mark came and with it, so did Krum. His shark head startled Harriet, but not as much when he started to violently chew the ropes under Hermione, jerking her around. Harriet rushed over and offered the stone to Krum. He took it and cut her free. Then kicked off quickly, an arm under Hermione's shoulder.

* * *

"Well now that her friend Miss Granger is gone, will Harriet leave? No, she is staying and waiting for Fleur, uh oh, this could be a problem."

Fleur who was on the beach in towels looked on nervously.

At ten minutes past the hour, Harriet finally made a move.

Harriet turned to the Chieftain and yelled "Sorry!"

She then swam over to the little girl and cut her free quickly. None of the merpeople tried to stop her and just watched as Harriet grabbed the little girl and Ron under their arm and kicked as fast as possible to the surface. The merpeople rose around the trio as Harriet kicked them to the surface, continuing their song.

Rising was slow going and was obviously straining Harriet. But the girl kept going doggedly. Slowly they rose and rose.

Unfortunately, they were not going fast enough as it became obvious that Harriet's gills were retracting.

"Oh no! it looks like the Gillyweed is wearing off. Will she make it to the surface? She looks too far away especially with two extra people." Bagman commentated loudly, waving his arms in the air with obvious anxiety.

The entire crowd was on their feet yelling encouragement to Harriet.

Harriet surprised them once more by stopping and taking out her wand. Then with the last of her air, she pointed her wand at her feet and said " _Torrepedilius Maximus"_

Harriet then tucked her arms into her body keeping her arms looped under Ron's and the little girls' armpits. The crowd watched in amazement as Harriet shot from where she was like a torpedo. Ron and the little girl flapping along beside her.

They sped to the surface at an alarming rate everyone could see the strain on Harriet's face either due to lack of oxygen or the pressure of flying through the water.

Then they broke the surface.

Harriet, Ron, and the little girl launched out of the lake, but Ron and the little girl fell off the side and dropped into the water, while Harriet was propelled high into the air. Even those on the land could see Harriet catapult out of the water, the small form flying above the lake.

She must have flown up ten meters into the air, her arms were flailing trying to keep herself upright. She barely managed to keep her balance and point her wand at the hard surface of the lake.

" _Reducto_!" the spell concussed against the surface of the water creating a large splash and Harriet landed into the middle of the churning water.

She landed awkwardly into the water, more on her side than upright, but the churning allowed for the impact to be softer.

The crowd went quiet as the Videus charm only showed the surface of the water. Harriet had not come up, and the surface of the black lake went back to its calm state.

Quiet… quiet… then the crowd began to murmur worriedly.

But then like a whale breaching the surface of the ocean, Harriet broke the surface of the lake throwing her head back and taking large gulps of air desperately. The crowd and everyone watching across Europe roared!

* * *

Harriet lay back floating trying to catch her breath. Pain pulsed on her side from where she had landed sideways when hitting the water.

Ow, that had hurt. It would probably have hurt more though if she hadn't used that reducto spell.

She had been crazy desperate to use that torpedo spell and it had been a gamble, but lucky it had paid off.

Ron was helping the little girl. They had both woken up when they breached the surface and were momentarily disorientated when they landed back into the lake. They both came up spluttering and Ron, had immediately gone over to help the girl.

They were making their way over to her, and she just waited for them while still breathing heavy. She was ready for a nap, and it was barely noon.

"Harry, you moral twit! You weren't meant to save everyone!" Ron scolded her, but he had a smile on his face.

"But I couldn't leave people behind." She said confused.

"Harry," Ron rolled his eyes, "It's a competition, do you really think they were going to leave us."

Harriet just looked at Ron in shock.

"But… the clue!" she protested.

"Added drama Harry, really!" Ron said as they all struck out towards the shore. With Harriet and Ron both aiding the little girl.

Harriet's face burned, "Alright, you can leave me to drown now."

"Hahaha, not a chance!" Ron grinned at her in a cheeky way, "I have to tease you with this for a good long while yet."

"Some friend you are! next time you are kidnapped by teachers and Merpeople for a crazy tournament, you'll see if I save you again!" she splashed him. Ron just laughing.

As they came close to the shore, the crowd cheered again. Ron lapped it up while smiling wildly. Their feet finally touched the sandy lake bottom and they started wading up to the shore. Fleur and Hermione, however, came splashing towards them. Fleur grabbed her sister in a tight hug, but Harriet wasn't able to watch the exchange as Hermione launched herself at both her and Ron.

Hermione's added weight on their tired shaky legs was too much and all of them went toppling over backward into the water again, much to the crowd's amusement. They all came up spluttering again and Harriet just glared at Hermione.

Hermione just laughed. "Harriet! I can't believe you waited at the bottom, you just have to save people."

Harriet's face burned again.

"And Ron are you okay? You got thrown in that last move that Harriet did." Hermione had turned her attention to Ron. He just blushed and said he was fine.

They were interrupted by Madam Pomfrey ushering them from the water.

Only now did Harriet realize that it was February in Scotland and they were standing in a cold lake.

Percy managed to grab Ron first and tried to pull him forward. "Get off ima 'right Percy!"

They were fussed over by the school nurse and Harriet watched in interest as the screen above the lake flashed between the judges, the crowd, and the champions. She was wrapped in a blanket and treated to a drying and heating charm by Flitwick and then given a pepper up potion from Madam Pomfrey. Her tender ribs were also poked and Madam Pomfrey declared them bruised but not broken. She lathered on a yellow salve and put a bandage over it.

Ron and Hermione joined her in getting fussed over by the nurse and Krum came over to talk with Hermione. There was an awkward moment where Ron glared at Krum and Krum did everything to monopolize Hermione's attention. Harriet heard Kurm say "You haff a water beetle in your hair,"

Hermione impatiently wiped it way.

Fleur and her little sister came over to her and Ron. They both hugged Harriet and thanked her then they both kissed Ron, making his ears burn and Hermione glare.

"You 'ave saved my leetle sister. Merci beaucoup 'Areeit." Fleur said with a beautiful and grateful smile. Harriet just smiled back awkwardly, not willing to mention that she kind of regretted it, and wished she had just gone for the win.

The Chieftain was talking with Dumbledore in their screeching, above water speech. And when they finished, the Merpeople backed away. Harriet found herself waving after the Merpeople and they waved back merrily before diving into the water.

Finally, they were called to order and Bagman was going to announce how the contestants did. They were lined up in front of the judge's table. The Videus screen was now focused on Bagman.

"Ladies and Gentlemen what an exciting event, please give it up for our champions!" the crowd sent up another roar.

"Now to get some scores. Miss Fleur Delacour was, unfortunately, unable to complete her task," Fleur hung her head. "However, her use of the bubble head charm was excellent and she employed some excellent moves against the Grindylows, so she, therefore, is awarded thirty points out of fifty. Which brings her score to seventy-two points, and into last place. Krum has moved into third. He employed an incomplete transfiguration, he also had excellent progress against a Kelpie where he managed to cut the creature to make it back off. He was the third to reach the Mermaid village and came back five minutes past the hour mark with Miss Granger in excellent form. For that, he has been awarded forty points bringing him to seventy-nine points."

"Which leaves Miss Potter and Mr. Diggory who… both have moved into first place with a tie!" the crowd cheered.

"Mr. Diggory had a run in with the giant squid who wanted to play with him, however, some clever transfiguration allowed Mr. Diggory to change a rock into a dolphin and distract the squid. He also did get led astray by a water fairy's light but recognized the mistake and found the Mermaid village with ten minutes to spare. He brought Miss Chang back to the surface within the time limit and is therefore awarded forty-five points. Bringing him to eighty-six points." Another Cheer.

"And Harriet." He gave an amused shake of his head and the crowd laughed. "Miss Potters run was extremely interesting as the first thing she did was stop and ask directions." Another laugh from the crowd. Hermione and Ron shot her a questioning look.

"Then she very expertly tackled a very large, ferocious Kelpie with a tricky stunning spell into its eye. Next, she outswam a horde of grindylows and managed to stop them with a large transfiguration creating a net. She was the first to enter the Mermaid village and the Chieftain made note to Professor Dumbledore that he was very pleased with her manners. The judges all agree that it was very brave and noble of Harriet to stay and wait to make sure not only her best friends got to safety, but even ensured the safety of a complete stranger. It was a close call though, and only the use of a rather dangerous spell allowed them to return mostly unharmed to the surface. The judges, therefore, afford miss Potter forty-two points! Bringing her also to eighty-six." The crowd let up another cheer.

"Ladies and Gentlemen this concludes the second task, the third and final task will take place on June twenty forth in the late afternoon and for all those that are watching at home thank you for joining us."

A ministry official came over and started waving their arms over the champions to take away the videus charm.

She felt a great sense of relief. The second task was done, and now she only had one more to go.


	16. Sneaky Snake

The night after the second task, the twins decided to host another party. They had a replay of the event on Neville's Videus crystal. Harriet watched the other contestants and flinched when she saw Fleur get grabbed by the Grydylows.

Hermione had shrieked in horror when she saw the Kelpie that Harriet faced, and even Harriet could admit that the Kelpie was a nightmarish one. Kelpie's were a pain but usually not murderous, this was just Harriet's regular luck at work.

She had to admit as she rewatched the event that it was quite entertaining. She understood why the Wizarding world was excited about the Videus charm and she could see the appeal of watching the tournament, it was like an extreme sport. The problem was, Harriet did NOT want to be a participator.

Still, she was actually quite successful this time around by scoring forty-two points.

She didn't get to enjoy the rest of the party. She only managed to stay up till seven o'clock then passed out on the couch right in the middle of the party and the noise.

She spent a very relaxed weekend with Ron and Hermione in front of the fire joined only by the other Gryffindors occasionally. In particular, Dean was hanging around quite a bit.

"You were incredible when you handled that kelpie, Harry." He smiled at her.

"Thanks, Dean," she smiled.

"What were you thinking about when you saw it?" He asked eyes wide.

"How did Snape get down here?" She smirked.

"HAHAHAHA," Dean threw his head back.

"But really that thing was straight out of nightmares," she shivered.

"So are you guys going to Hogsmeade?" he asked nonchalantly. Hermione snapped her head to look at them.

"That's in two weeks right? Yeah probably," Harriet answered.

"Well we will see you there, maybe a bunch of us can meet for a butterbeer." He said looking at her.

"Sounds good, I like getting lunch at the three broomsticks." She said while flipping through her quidditch magazine.

"Perfect, we can meet at the three broomsticks at noon," Dean said with a wide smile to her.

* * *

She thought it was just a Gryffindor lunch that she agreed to, but apparently, it was much more according to Hermione.

They, however, couldn't talk about this until the next day at their potions bench where Ron, Lavender, and Parvati weren't around to hear their girl talk.

"Harriet he was asking you out!" Hermione insisted.

"Hermione I don't think –"

"Harriet he was flirting with you all weekend!" She hissed, "and you agreed to lunch."

Unfortunately just because Ron, Lavander or Parvati weren't around, did not mean that other people couldn't hear. She heard the clatter of something dropping from somewhere behind her, indicating that Malfoy had heard Hermione.

"Hermione I—"

"Miss Potter and Miss Granger! As interesting as whatever your discussion is, it is not to be discussed in potions. Perhaps you cannot be trusted to not distract each other. Potter, move your stuff up to the front." Snape said. He was still livid with her.

She grabbed her stuff and started to move her things to the front of the room. She unpacked again and started on her potion.

Snape came over and hovered over her as she worked.

"You must think that you are pretty important right now, don't you Potter. Executing such a – daring spectacle in front of all your adoring fans."

He sneered at her. She focused hard on her potion. She felt the flush start in her neck and her anger rising.

"But you should know, that in this room, you are just the rule-breaking brat that I know you are."

He then reached into his pocket and she thought he was going to hex her. But instead, he pulled out a clear liquid filled vial.

"Do you know what this is?" Snape asked extremely softly leaning close.

She observed the vial that was hanging in front of her face. She shook her head, just continuing the potion and trying to control her temper.

"This is Veritaserum. It is an extremely potent truth serum, three drops and you will spill your deepest secrets. It is very strictly controlled by the ministry." He was still whispering.

"However, if you go near my storeroom again, then I may just find my hand slipping over your morning pumpkin juice."

Her inside turned in discomfort. She had some pretty big secrets, like Sirius, and Dobby helping her in the heist. It would be disastrous if she let that slip. Her cheeks also burned at the thought of her complicated feeling about Malfoy.

He finally backed off, and when potions ended she hurried to pack up. She slipped out of the door and found Hermione, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean waiting for her. Hermione looked a bit worried.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry Hermione. It was just Snape being Snape." She said.

Dean threw an arm around her shoulder and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Yeah, just him being a dick."

"Oh, what's this? You must have a real taste for mudbloods Potter?" Pansy's high nasal voice sounded behind her.

She felt Dean drop his arm and she turned to see Pansy walking in front of the Slytherins. She noted that Malfoy looked apoplectic and was glaring at Dean and her. But her anger that had started with Snape, was rising.

"Shut up Pugsy!" Ron snipped. Oh, why had she never thought of that, Pugsy!

Pansy looked absolutely outraged, as the Gryffindor laughed.

"Whatever Weasel! You are probably just upset you aren't getting any from this little hussy. Or maybe you are, she would stoop that low." Pansy snarled with absolute loathing. "Diggory, Zabini, Thomas, Weasely, probably even Granger, right Potter. With you, anything would go, right? From blood traitors to _disgusting little mudbloods!"_

It happened on instinct. She had been seeing red and her wand was in her hand and in Pansy's face before anyone else could move. Pansy's eyes widened, and everyone around them froze.

Harriet dug the tip of her wand into Pansy's cheek and stepping well inside Pansy's bubble. She should really drop it but she was angry and wasn't thinking clearly.

"Careful Pansy, your petty insults don't bug me, I actually think they are quite sad. But if you start becoming vicious then I will be forced to respond," she threatened.

Harriets eyes glowed with her rage and her magic that wanted to burst out. The slight wind still swirled and the torchlight flicked.

The hall was tense and then Nott brought his wand up to point at her slowly.

"Back off Potter," Nott said angerly. "You don't want to mess with people like us."

"Oh, I think you are exactly the kind of people we want to mess with," said Ron, pointing his wand at Nott, and backing her up.

Crabbe and Goyle pointed their wands at Ron slowly and then Seamus and Dean raised their wands as well.

Zabini, Greengrass, Travis, Bulstrode, Neville, and Hermione were standing behind their separate groups, backing away and nervously watching the showdown.

It was a very tense standoff but Harriet kept her eyes on Parkinson.

"Perhaps, we should all settle down." Malfoy very slowly stepped between the two girls, his hands up to show no harm. "Right in front of the potion's classroom is hardly the place."

He very slowly pushed Harriet's wand back and stood in front of Pansy, facing Harriet. He also shot Nott a significant look.

Nott eyes narrowed angerly but he still dropped his wand at Draco's command. Slowly everyone else did too.

Then Pansy made a move. From behind Malfoy she had drawn her wand and tried to reach around him. Harriet saw and also moved but was surprisingly stopped by Malfoy catching her wrist. Harriet waited for Pansy's curse to hit but then saw that Malfoy had caught Pansy's wrist in his other hand.

Wands were all back in hands again and raised. The tense situation returned to how it was a moment before.

"Pansy," Draco hissed. "Stop it. You seriously going to risk the wrath of the entire school with so blatantly hexing their little princess."

Pansy looked furious. Then Malfoy gave Harriet a hard look as well. Harriet's eyes narrowed but she just jerked her hand out of his grasp and lowered her wand. This was again the signal for everyone to stop.

Harriet spun slowly while keeping her eyes on Parkinson until the last second. Then she faced forward and walked away. The Gryffindors all followed as well.

Before they got away she heard Pansy yell, "You just wait, Potter! You will get what coming to you!"

They made it up to the great hall and everyone sat down heavily. The boys minus Ron started to talk amongst themselves about what had occurred.

Harriet sat with Ron and Hermione. She was actually feeling angry with herself.

"Ron, Mione… I'm sorry. I totally lost it back there." She whispered.

Ran gave her a look, "it's okay, mate. Parkinson was way out of line. It was actually pretty impressive."

Hermione gave them both a glare, "Harriet, you flew off the handle. You should ignore her."

Harriet frowned at Hermione, "I'm sorry alright! But did you hear her?"

"I heard," said Hermione. "But Pansy is just bitter. You can't let it get to you or you are going to escalate this to a place where you can't come back from. You are too quick to pull your wand."

"Come on Hermione," Ron said. "Harriet was in the right on that one."

"No, she wasn't," Hermione said with a glare. "She was attacking not defending. And you keep jumping into these fights Harriet and you're going to get hurt. Or worse you will get someone else hurt." Hermione glared.

Harriet who was getting irritated with Hermione, felt herself go cold. She had already sent Crabbe to the hospital wing along with Hermione back in November. Maybe she was a bit too hasty.

"You are lucky Malfoy stepped in," Hermione said.

"Why did Malfoy step in? he isn't really known for defending us." Ron asked.

Hermione looked pensive, "actually, he has been pretty low key this year, hasn't he? It's been nice."

Harriet just focused on her lunch.

* * *

Despite the respite between the second and third task, the trio were strangely busy. They had homework, preparation for the third task, and some research projects underway.

Actually, it seemed that they had many research projects underway.

The grey man would be brought up on occasion, usually after a particularly bad night of nightmares for Harriet. The fact that Dumbledore had told Harriet that there was potentially a resource that spoke about the grey man had inspired Hermione to find it. Unfortunately, they never had any luck with finding anything.

Then there was SPEW. Hermione was still doggedly working on her campaign for the rights of house elves. And after all the help Hermione had given her over the last year, Harriet really had no room to say no when Hermione asked for help. She helped Hermione make flyers, but her heart wasn't really in it.

Then there was the project that Harriet was most interested in, and the one that Ron was surprisingly heading. Information about the Crouch family. Ron had become an expert at scouring through the prophet achieves. Harriet was adamant that she had seen Bartimus Crouch that night she stole the Gillyweed.

"I saw it plain as day, Bartimus Crouch was on the map," Harriet said. She was pacing, trying to understand the situation with Hermione following her with her eyes.

"Which one?" Ron asked, not even looking up from the Prophet he was scanning.

"What?" Harriet said stopping dead.

"Which one, junior or senior?" Ron said finally looking up at her.

Harriets jaw actually dropped.

"Ron! You're a genius!" Harriet said. "Another Death Eater that could have put my name in the cup."

"Wait, wait, wait." Hermione interrupted. "Harriet, Barty Crouch Junior is in Azkaban. There is no way he is free and in Hogwarts!"

"Well there is one way," said Harriet thinking of Sirius.

"No way, we would have heard about another escape," Hermione said.

That was a good point, but Harriet wasn't quite ready to drop that line of thinking.

Their search was also fueled by the recent Headlines in the Daily Prophet. The Prophet was speculating as to the exact nature of Mr. Crouch mysterious illness. They had found out that Mr. Crouch was still sending in letters, but his house was abandoned. The ministry said that Mr. Crouch just needed some time to make his full recovery, but the prophet was speculating about the actual state of the official's health. Harriet thought that he had been looking sick the last time she saw him at the first task.

Hermione was pretty uninterested in the Crouch mystery.

"He is just an awful man," she had said, trying to justify her disinterest. "The way that he treated Winky when he fired her. He is honestly despicable."

"Oh, honestly Hermione, give the house elf thing a rest," Ron said exasperatedly.

"NO!" Hermione yelled back.

The last of their big projects was the one that they had been working on since the start of the year. Building up an arsenal of spells. Harriet was currently focused on dueling, much to Hermione's annoyance. Harriet speculated that it was going to be a dueling tournament for the final task.

"Harriet, I doubt they will have you dueling, you should focus on your quick transfigurations like what you did in the second task, or charms!" Hermione tried to persuade her.

Harriet couldn't resist though, DADA had always been her best subject and her limited dueling experience had always been exciting. And she found the perfect spell she wanted to master.

"Okay Ron, try and hex me… _defley_ OW! Okay again… _defl_ oooh! Again… _defley_ crap! Okay, I'm ready… _defley_ OW!"

She was having Ron fire a stinging jinx at her over and over again, as she wanted to learn the deflection charm.

It was a particularly effective defensive spell.

The incantation was a simple _defley_. It was a spell that allowed the caster to grab the essence of magic in a curse, hex, jinx, or spell and manipulate the path of the magic. When perfected, the person being targeted could catch a spell on the tip of their wand and direct it away from the person's body. It worked well with spells like _stupefy_ or _petrificus totalis_ , or _expelliarmus_. It did not work on the unforgivables or attacks with physical objects like a banishment charm sending a rock at your face. But it could work against elemental attacks like fire and water, but was apparently much harder to do. Elemental magic was tricky and it was difficult to find a point of origin when a giant wave of water or fireball was flying at you. When done correctly, the person being attacked could redirect the attackers magic and even use it in their offense. Basically, you could use the attackers own magic against them.

There were a couple of advantages to this. If done well, it was a very effective method against multiple attackers and tended to be faster than casting a new spell, as you could defend and attack almost instantaneously. It also allowed you time to cast your own magic while the attacker fended off their own spells sent back to them.

The distinct disadvantage of this spell, it was freaking hard to catch the magic. It was one of the rare instances where physical dexterity was a distinct advantage. You had an instant, where a spell was flying at you, to see the leading point and grab it with your wand. If you stopped there, it would still escape and crash into you. Like a flood hitting a wall it would overwhelm the defense and flow over. The trick was redirecting the momentum of the magic smoothly, like water flowing through a pipe.

She was getting Ron to send hexes at her for ten minutes a day. Needless to say, she always had little welts by nightfall. She offered to send hexes back, but he was not interested in being on the back end of curses. It wasn't working out great, but she would get it eventually.

* * *

Three days before Hogsmeade she got a letter that really worried her.

 _Meet at the end of the road, past Dervish and Banges, at two on Saturday. Bring food. PF_

They were currently walking down to care of magical creatures, having just finished breakfast.

"He's in Hogsmeade," Hermione said in a worried voice. Harriet was not happy.

She did want to see Sirius, but she was terrified that he would be discovered.

"Merlin, what is he doing here?" Said Harriet through grounded teeth, while burning the note.

"He's here for you mate. He's worried obviously," Ron said also looking concerned, but with an understanding tone.

"I don't want him here I want him safe," she insisted in a whisper. They were just coming up to Hagrid's hut where the class usually waited for Hagrid to appear.

"I know, but it's a bit late now, we have to meet him at Hogsmeade," Ron said.

"Who are you meeting? I thought we were meeting for lunch?" Dean said as he, Seamus and Neville came up behind them. He was giving Harriet a look in particular.

Oh right, the date she had inadvertently agreed to. To make matters worse Malfoy was a little ways off and staring at them.

"Oh – um, right! Er… I just have some errands to run that day in the afternoon. But we can meet for lunch… all of us… as a group. Um, how about I invite Lavender and Parvati as well." She said nervously.

Dean looked a little disappointed, but Seamus looked happy enough.

"Ya that works! We can get one of the big tables." Seamus said.

They were called to order then by Hagrid, who brought over a large cage. Inside were many strange looking creatures. They looked like furry frogs with horns and a tail. They were quite small and kinda cute.

"Now can anyone tell me what these are?" Asked Hagrid.

Hermione's hand shot up, and Hagrid beamed at her.

"They are hodags, sir."

"Right you are there 'Ermione. These 'ere little fellas are just babies. They will grow to 'bout the size of a medium dog. They grow rather large teeth when they grow up though. They are a protected creature and are native to 'Merica. Wisconsin to be specific. Now, these ones were imported and the ministry has a reserve for 'em. Anyone want to tell me why?"

Again Hermione's hand into the air.

"Well, their horns can be powdered and used in different sleeping potions. The older they are the more potent the horn is, so the adult ones are used in strong sleeping potions, while the babies horns are only used in mild potions. They can also be used in a hangover cure," said Hermione with a blush.

"Right y'are! Ten points to Gryffindor." Hagrid beamed. "Now that's what you'll be doing today. Grab a partner and each of yeh will take a hodag. Take these knives 'ere as well. You'll then be slicing off and collecting the horns. This is how yeh do it, from back to front. And it doesn't hurt them none 'cause the horns don't got nerves. One partner holds, while the other one slices. Then as partners, you will draw your little hodag an' label all the important points from yer book. Including a summary on habitat, feeding, and upkeep. Homework will be five inches on use of the Hodag horn."

She was about to turn to Hermione beside her when Dean tapped her shoulder. "Wanna partner?"

"Er… um, sure." She wasn't really sure how to handle the situation, did Dean really like her?

They got their supplies and found a spot on the lawn to work. Harriet brought out her wand and tired to transfigure a shrub into a bench. She didn't want to sit on the cold, wet, earth like everyone else was doing. She could feel the annoyance radiating off of Pansy. The transfiguration almost worked. It was a bench, but it still was distinctly shrub-like, with leaves and twigs sticking out here and there.

"You're getting really good at Transfiguration," Dean said as sat down on the bench in appreciation.

"I-thanks, it much easier if I am using like materials, wood to wood you know. Or if I am just changing the shape of materials like the kelp. Wood is also much easier than stone you know, it's bendy." She rambled, a bit nervous.

"Right I think McGonagall was saying something like that a few weeks ago," Dean said.

"Ya well, its kind of what inspired me to try such a large transfiguration down in the lake." She agreed.

"Brilliant! You're seriously clever." He smiled at her.

Okay, that was definitely flirting, right? Merlin, why was she so bad at this?

"Ah… er, thanks. Should we deal with the frog?" she lifted her little furry thing to his face. Then to her absolute mortification, the little frog burped practically into Dean's nose. Smooth Harriet, real smooth.

He laughed, "Sure."

They harvested the horn and Harriet held the thing as Dean drew it. Dean was a seriously good artist and she watched the beautiful rendition of the hodag come to life on his paper. She was glad that he drew because hers would have been markedly worse. He then held it for her and they talked about what they would label on their drawing.

"So you looking forward to Hogsmeade?" Dean asked.

She thought about seeing Sirius and a small smile broke out on her face. She was definitely nervous for him but seeing a familiar face would be good. "Yeah, I am, it will be nice."

"Do you really have errands in the afternoon? Could you finish them earlier?"

"Ah, no I really do have to be somewhere," she said with a questioning look.

"That's too bad, I thought maybe we could look around Hogsmeade after." He said with an indifferent shrug. Crap that was him definitely asking her out… maybe.

"Ah, um maybe next time?" Wait did that mean she was asking him on a date?

"Yeah, next time works!" Dean smiled happily. Dang, she did.

Harriet liked Dean, he has always been nice, but she wasn't sure if she felt that way about him and she didn't know how to discourage but keep a friendship.

If Harriet thought she was done with awkward encounters for the day, then she was sorely mistaken. She had walked back to the castle with the Gryffindors and Hermione was giving her significant eyebrow raises.

They all dropped their bags and went to dinner and Harriet felt an awkward tension surrounding the Gryffindors. Seamus was not being subtle, he was winking and nudging Dean while looking over in her direction. Hermione was trying to gauge her reaction to all the obvious tension. Parvati and Lavender were giggling every so often and looking over at her. Neville was just awkward, he knew what was going on, but didn't seem to know where to look.

But Ron, blessed Ron, was thankfully oblivious. He just ate his food and talked about how his hodag had nearly escaped.

When Harriet had finally had enough she pushed herself away from the table and said that she was going to bed early.

"What about your dinner?" Hermione said looking at Harriets half-eaten plate.

"Not hungry," she answered, which was true. Though the thing with Dean was annoying her, she had been in a state of nerves over Sirius today. He would be in Hogsmeade by now, and she didn't like the idea of him so close to the wizarding settlement.

Why couldn't he have just stayed on a beach somewhere and sent her reassuring letters?

She walked back up to the tower, but she didn't make it before a voice called from behind her.

"Potter!" Malfoys angry voice called down the hall. He was walking quickly to catch up with her.

Dang, this was happening now?

He caught up and was breathing a bit harder than normal. His face was lightly pinked but his hair was still in place.

"Maybe, we could have that frank discussion now?" he said staring intently at her.

"Ah…er… well… you see I was just going to—HEY! What are you doing?" she said as he grabbed her elbow and dragged her behind a tapestry with a secret passage behind it that led to the fourth floor. A few people knew it was here, she included thanks to the map, but she didn't realize that Malfoy knew.

Malfoy spun to face her after dragging her inside.

"You said we could have a frank discussion after the second task, and now it's two weeks past the second task." He said.

"I didn't specify when after the task," she said petulantly. It was just semantics really.

"Well, I think that we should talk now," he said in that bratty voice that she knew he had definitely used to get everything he wanted growing up.

"Fine! Be frank then," she waved her hand.

That seemed to make Malfoy pause. He obviously wasn't fully prepared.

"What is going on with you and Thomas?" Malfoy said with his eyes narrowing.

"Nothing!... I mean we are going to Hogsmeade—but as a group!" she added when his lip had started curling. "We are going as a group with Lavander and Parvati and Ron and Hermione and Seamus and Neville." She said trying to justify herself. But why was she so interested in making sure Malfoy had the right idea?

"Oh, and what about you sitting with him today in care of magical creatures?" he asked.

"He asked me to partner with him, and I am friends with Dean." She said unapologetically.

"Oh please," he scoffed. "You transfigured that small little bench and sat all cuddled up and you are telling me that wasn't anything?"

"What! I just didn't want to sit on the ground!" she said incredulously, did they really look like they were cuddling?

There was a moment of silence.

"He fancies you," Malfoy said staring intently at her, trying to read her face.

She winced, she just wasn't ready for boys.

"I…well there's nothing I can do for that." She said. He seemed like he wanted to argue that point but then he took a minute to stare off the side. She decided that maybe it was her turn to speak and so said what had been on the tip of her tongue since Christmas.

"Look, I… I am sorry I said something a bit harsh… last time... at the ball... I'm sorry. But…that doesn't mean that I… that is to say… it's not an invitation to…"

Man, she really sucked at this. When in doubt though, just get to the point.

"Why did you kiss me?" She asked and raised her head defiantly.

Malfoy kind of winced but covered it up with a shrug.

"I don't know, just felt like it," he said indifferently. So much for being frank. She ground her teeth at his attitude.

"Why were you even in that corridor?" she asked.

"I…I thought you were with Zabini, I was looking for him." He said with his cool mask. Another half-truth.

"What do you want from me Malfoy?" she stared intently. He had turned back to face her and now they were looking into each other eyes.

"I… I don't know, I just think, that sometimes… you are alright." He seemed to ground out, like it was blasphemy to admit. "Most of the time though, you're so bloody Gryffindor," He grumbled.

This actually amused her, he did have a way of making that sound like an insult.

"I am Gryffindor Malfoy," she smirked at him.

"Yeah, don't remind me," He rolled his eyes. "You were ready to drown for Weasley and Frenchy's sister."

She flushed at the memory of her mistake. They had awarded her for the move, but she had still been an idiot. But then she turned serious.

"Why did you jump between Pansy and me?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"Besides not wanting to get into a fight in a narrow corridor with many people?" she just raised an eyebrow and he sighed. "I know that Pansy was out of line. I… you would have gotten in a lot of trouble, not to mention you were right in the middle and probably would have been hurt." He said with a shrug.

She contemplated that for a moment. He was looking out for her? Maybe he had changed but it was weird to think about that in regards to Malfoy. She still thought about him as the boy who worshipped his father and wanted to be exactly like him.

"Malfoy… did your dad ever tell you about meeting me at the end of second year?" She asked seriously.

He looked confused about the change in subject, but seemed to consider her question.

"Ah not really, something about you causing him to lose our House-elf." He said. "I never got the story, but he was pretty bloody mad," Malfoy said this with stony indifference. Like he didn't care that his father had been upset.

"I did trick your father into freeing Dobby. He was... really furious at the time. He was going to curse me, but Dobby stopped him," she told him, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Your dad hates me. And not in the 'oh, he'll get over it kind of way'. Talking with me goes against him Malfoy," She said gravely. "Are you ready for such a change? With you, it's always my father this and my father that. And even if you are changed, there are somethings you have done I am finding hard to forgive. You nearly had Buckbeak killed, because you got a scratch! And you called Hermione a _mudblood._ You bullied Neville. You insult Ron because he isn't rich like you. You constantly picked fights with me."

Malfoy was looking a bit distressed.

"I… okay, I wasn't the best in the past, but I am trying to change," he said imploringly.

"But why?" she asked.

"I… well let's just say I have become a bit disillusioned with my dads' beliefs." He said frowning. "About the hippogriff, I didn't mean for that to happen, I told my mum, and my dad saw the letter and he escalated it. And I am sorry I acted like such a prat about it, I was just confused and didn't know how to fix things."

Now he swallowed. "About Granger and Longbottom… I just, well I won't do it anymore, okay? I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not me you have to apologize to… but I do appreciate it," she said after a beat. "I don't know what this is Malfoy, and frankly I don't really trust you, but you did help me a bit before the tasks, so… I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe we could be…polite acquaintances? For right now."

He snorted looking amused, "polite acquaintances? Alright, I guess that is the best I can hope for."

Then he paused again as if wanting to say something but not sure if he should.

"Just… just don't start dating Thomas alright." He looked incredibly embarrassed at the last sentence.

She also flushed.

"I don't want to date anybody!" she said very pink in the face.

"Oh yeah? Not even Zabini?" he asked.

"No, Zabini and I are not like that." She rolled her eyes.

"Not even Diggory?" he pushed.

"No! Now stop bugging me!" she glared.

"Fine. But what about, maybe some time in the future, when I have shown the world that I am not actually a bully, I have proven myself very trustworthy, and that I am not a jerk, then what about me?" he asked looking at her with a teasing grin, but he was still looking at her intently.

"Ugh really! You give them an inch and they take a mile. I don't know Malfoy... I would have to take a very careful re-evaluation." She said with another glare.

That seemed to make him happy though because a toothy grin broke out on his face, and Harriet was amazed by the transformation.

"That's all I ask," then the sneaky snake leaned down quickly and kissed her cheek. She flushed again, pushed his shoulders, and then stormed out from behind the tapestry to the sound of an amused chortle.


	17. The Unbreakable Vow

Ron, Hermione, and Harriet walked quickly up the road of Hogsmeade. They had just left the rest of the Gryffindors behind in the Three Broomsticks after lunch.

Lunch had been fun, but a little awkward. Dean had sat beside her immediately when he, Lavender, Seamus, and Parvati had walked in.

Ron, Hermione, Neville and herself had got there first, and had saved a larger table. Despite that, the table had been crowded and while Harriet had felt suffocated and awkward. Dean had been all smiles as he squeezed in beside her. He had kept the conversation going, the entire lunch, with her only responding as needed. She found herself very conscious of all her movements and where he was at all times.

Her friends had been zero help. They were all constantly sending looks over at her and Dean. Hermione, in particular, was as subtle as a steam engine while she constantly tried to gage Harriet's reactions, which made Harriet, even more, self-conscious.

To make matters worse, Malfoy and Zabini walked in and took a table near theirs, right in her line of sight. Every time she looked up, she found Malfoy glancing at her.

Yep. Awkward.

She had been happy to escape the table later and head to her meeting with Sirius.

Ron, Hermione, and herself walked further down the main road then they had ever gone before. They went past Dervish and Banges and a few other buildings before finding a field and a wooden fence on the far side. Leaning up on the fence with his front legs on the top rail was a large, shaggy black dog. The dog's tail was wagging hard at the sight of them and the dog called a happy 'wuff.'

Harriet had to physically restrain herself from yelling in joy. She still ran the last couple steps to the fence, jumped over, dropped to her knees and hugged the large black dog. The dog nuzzled his head into her shoulder.

Harriet had always been very self-reliant. She had wanted parents, but she had never understood what having a parent meant, so she could never really be too jealous. But now that she had Sirius, she was beginning to realize how great it was to have someone to rely on. She could lean on him when the going got tough. He was going to be on her side no matter what, and the knowledge of that made her incredibly happy.

Embarrassingly, she found a couple of tears leaking through tightly clenched eyes. She never cried, but her relief at seeing Sirius was immense. He whined in her hair, asking what was wrong in his own doggy way.

"Sorry," she gasped as she leaned back and wiped her slightly watery eyes. "I'm just really happy to see you, and that you're okay."

He pressed his wet nose into her forehead. Then his attention was caught by the bag that Ron had on his shoulder that was filled to the brim with food, courtesy of Dobby.

Ron smiled at the now drooling dog, "hungry mate?"

"Wuff!"

The dog turned and lead them into the forest. They followed Sirius up the slope until finally, they made it to a cave on the hill. It was slightly hidden behind some boulders and therefore a perfect spot to hide.

The dog disappeared first into the cave and Harriet followed behind first.

She had to go behind the boulder and slide down into a large hole to get into the cave. As she stumbled down the short ledge, she saw the dog had turned into a man. Sirius was still looking a little rough. His hair was longer, and his robes were still the shabby grey ones she had last seen him in. But his face had lost a lot of the shadows that had haunted it, and his face looked much less skeletal.

Despite him looking the part of an escaped convict, she still rushed over to give him another hug, burying her face in his chest.

"Hey, kiddo, I'm happy to see you too," he said hugging her back. Then he pushed back on her shoulders and got a look at her face.

"Heh! You are looking more like your mother every day. That's a good thing too, don't want to be taking after your dad," he gave a fake shudder of horror at the thought. "But you're still all elbows and stick limbs, do they even feed you?"

"Ha! Harry eats like a hippogriff," said Ron coming into the cave, "same manners too."

There was an indignant squawk from the back of the cave. Buckbeak had one of his yellow eyes fixed on Ron.

"Er… Sorry, Buckbeak," Ron said hastily.

Sirius snorted. "Never insult a hippogriff Ron, do you mind passing over that bag, I'm starved, and you brought chicken."

Ron handed the bag over and Sirius tore into the bag in search of the chicken. They had loaded the bag with food. from meats to treats, and Sirius tore into it like a starved man, which he was.

"Sorry I have been mostly living on rats."

They all made a face.

"Sirius, I am happy that you're here, but you shouldn't have come back. It's way too dangerous." Harriet said, looking at her godfather in reproach.

"Couldn't'leave ya, kid. Besides, there's a lot happening here and I want to be close by," he said, before tearing another bite off the drumstick he was holding. He also pointed at a pile of Daily Prophets in the corner of the cave.

There were headlines about the Ministry's inactivity dealing with Bertha Jorkins disappearance and about the Ministry's response to Barty Crouch's sickness. Harriet picked this paper up.

"You think that Barty Crouch is not actually sick?" she asked. "Or do you think its a lot more serious than the Ministry is letting on?"

"If Barty Crouch ever took a sick day in his life I'll eat my hat. He was always power hungry. He was the head of Magical Law Enforcement during the first war, and he was extremely against dark wizards. He legalized the use of the Unforgivables against Death Eaters. He definitely wanted to be the next Minister of Magic."

"Did you know him?" Hermione asked.

"Of a sort, he is the one who sentenced me without a trial," Sirius said with a dark glare.

Hermione, Ron, and Harriet stared at him in shock.

"Oh, I knew he was a loathsome man. First Sirius, then poor Winky," Hermione said with righteous anger.

"Leave off the house elves Hermione," Ron said, shooting Hermione an exasperated look.

Harriet turned to Sirius to explain, "Mr. Crouch fired his house elf at the Quidditch World Cup because she had my wand, which had just been used to fire the dark mark."

"Mr. Crouch's elf was there?" Sirius asked stunned.

She told him the story of that night, where the three of them heard someone yell _Morsmordre_ in the dark, then how Mr. Crouch's elf was discovered. Hermione jumped in at the end.

"And then he just fired the poor thing without even a consideration that she may have wanted to escape being trampled!" Hermione huffed.

"Hermione leave it!" Ron said again.

"No, she is right Ron. You can get a measure of a man by how they treat their inferiors. Crouch is hardline against any dark magic. He also had absolutely no sympathy for his son," said Sirius with a solemn tone.

"We read about that in the Prophet archives at the school. He threw his son into Azkaban with barely a trial," Harriet said.

"Mmmhmm, saw them bring him in myself. He couldn't have been older than nineteen." Sirius added. "It was a big scandal and even bigger embarrassment for Crouch. His own son turned dark."

"Is his son still in Azkaban?" Harriet asked.

"No, the kid died," Sirius said gravely. At their looks of horror, he added, "It happens, people just stop eating and waste away in that godforsaken place. That was actually the last time that I saw Crouch. He came in with his frail wife and saw their son about a week before he passed." Sirius shook his head.

"That was the only time he ever came to see his kid, but I have my suspicions that is more for his wife's sake. She ended up dying a month later, apparently. That was when Crouch lost it all, one minute he was poised for the top spot in the ministry, next he is familyless and dishonored. But it goes to show how intense Crouch was, and it makes this mystery disease even more suspicious. He worked so hard for this Tournament then disappears as soon as it's happening," Sirius said in a confused tone.

"Sirius, he was in Hogwarts just before the second task," Harriet said adding to the strange evidence.

"WHAT!?"

"Yeah, we thought that maybe it could have been Barty Crouch junior, but then you told us he died. I didn't see him personally, but I saw him on the map the night I stole the Gillyweed from Snape. Right before I made my run for it, I checked the map to see where Snape was and ended up seeing Crouch near the dungeons. It was just a glance, but I am sure I saw it!"

Sirius stood up and started pacing. His brow was frowning heavily, and he was stroking his stubble.

"There are just too many strange things surrounding Crouch. First his house elf was discovered with your wand that conjured the dark mark, then he develops a strange disease during the Triwizard Tournament, and finally shows up randomly late at night near the dungeons."

Eventually, Sirius sat down heavily and continued frowning, "I just don't know how it all fits."

They all sat in silence and contemplated for a moment.

"Maybe he was trying to catch Snape," said Ron.

"Ron, Professor Snape isn't evil and Dumbledore trusts him," Hermione countered

"Well Moody doesn't and maybe Crouch doesn't either, Dumbledore isn't perfect," Ron returned.

"He saved Harriet in first year," Hermione shot back.

"What do you think Sirius," Harriet cut in.

"Tricky one," Sirius said while gazing at Ron and Hermione. "You both have points, I went to school with Snape. He was always odd and knew way too much dark magic. Personally, I have a pretty bad history with Snape. But Dumbledore keeps him close and Dumbledore is not easy to pull the wool over."

"Was Snape tried as a Death Eater?" Hermione asked.

Ron chimed in as well. "Yeah, he was accused by Karkaroff at his trial. And Moody is keeping a close eye on him, word around school is that Moody searched his office at the start of the year."

"No, he was cleared, and no charges were lain against him. Snape is clever though, he would be able to avoid detection. It definitely doesn't surprise me though that Snape was accused. He was friends with a group of Slytherins that all became Death Eaters later in life," Sirius added. "Wilkes, Rosier, the Lestranges..." Sirius scowled darkly at the names.

"As for Moody," Sirius added. "He was a very intense Auror, but I will say this for him, he never killed needlessly. He tried to bring them in alive if possible, but he was aggressive. I don't think he trusts anyone, so maybe it is just paranoia that drove the search."

"Ron, your brother works for Crouch, right?" Sirius asked Ron.

"Yeah," said Ron. "We sent him a letter to ask about Crouch and Bagman. Percy is really dedicated to Crouch and just said that he is overworked. He said Bagman was irresponsible, but there wasn't anything suspicious in the letter. He gets all his direction from Crouch via owl, like the prophet says."

"Hmm, I guess that is to be expected, but maybe send a discreet letter and ask about Bertha Jorkins," Sirius suggested. "She is still missing, and it would be interesting to hear what someone in the Ministry has to say."

They all nodded, and there was another moment of silence, where everyone was caught in their own thoughts. Buckbeak gave a sharp caw from the back of the cave.

"What time is it?" Sirius finally asked.

"Nearly three," Hermione responded.

"I guess you all should be getting back –" Sirius had to stop however as he was interrupted by an unexpected disruption.

Malfoy literally stumbled and fell into the cave, right onto Ron's lap.

Then there was a pause as everyone stared at the tangle that was Ron and Malfoy, and Malfoy just stared at Sirius with wide eyes.

Then there was pandemonium.

Buckbeak reared and gave a sharp caw, Hermione and Harriet both jumped up, Ron pushed Malfoy, Sirius dived to the side as Malfoy shot a stunner at him that went wide.

Ron tried then to pin Malfoy, and Hermione jumped on Malfoy's legs in an effort to help Ron. There was a bunch of yelling and grunting.

"Get off Weasel!"

"Malfoy—OW!"

"Stop Malfoy!"

Harriet turned to Buckbeak and tried to calm the Hippogriff who was running for the trio on the ground and Sirius snatched Hermione's wand and turned to the dog pile that was Malfoy, Ron, and Hermione.

" _Expelliarmus, Incarsirus!"_ He yelled. Ron, Hermione, and Malfoy's wand flew away from Malfoy, and tight ropes wrapped around Malfoy's chest, arms, and legs.

Hermione and Ron untangled themselves from where they had landed on top of one another and stood up blushing beside Sirius.

Buckbeak had stopped before he had trampled Harriet thankfully, and now was pawing the ground in an agitated manner and staring balefully at Malfoy. There was a moment as everyone stopped and were frozen at the implications. It was Harriet that broke the tense moment, turning away from Buckbeak.

"Malfoy! What are you doing here?" She said with wide very worried eyes. Malfoy was looking at her like she was absolutely crazy.

"ARE YOU KIDDING!" He yelled. "I saw you going off into the bloody forest like an idiot! And then I spend a fucking hour making sure that you haven't got yourself into some hairbrained scheme, and then low and behold, I find you in the absolute worst-case scenario with a murderer who is particularly targeting you! What am I doing here? What in Merlin's name are you doing here?!"

He then turned his glare on Sirius. "I don't know what you have done to them, imperius or whatever, but I am not going to let you hurt her."

Sirius just glowered at Malfoy. "You don't look like you're in a position to be making threats," then he lazily pointed Malfoy's wand, which he had picked up, at Malfoy himself. Malfoy blanched.

"Sirius stop!" said Harriet coming over and grabbing Sirius' arm holding out the wand. She then turned to Malfoy, "we aren't under the imperius; besides I can throw off the imperius, you've seen me in class. The truth is that Sirius is innocent and never killed those muggles or Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was responsible for everything, but we can't prove it, so Sirius is hiding. He is my Godfather."

The cave was quiet as everyone was giving Harriet various looks of incredulity.

"What!?" Malfoy yelled.

"Harriet!" Ron and Hermione yelled.

Sirius just raised an eyebrow.

"I'm serious Malfoy. I am not going to let you hurt him in any way, so get that out of your head," she narrowed her eyes at Malfoy. Malfoy just spluttered.

"Are you stupid. He's tricked you! He murdered Pettigrew and is trying to kill you!" Malfoy yelled at her. "You need to get out of here!"

"Malfoy, I've seen the evidence Peter Pettigrew is alive. I've met him face to face, Hermione and Ron have also seen him. And we have been here for nearly an hour with Sirius and do we look murdered to you." Malfoy narrowed his eyes.

"He must be trying to lead you away, or something," he countered.

"We were just about to head back up to the castle before you found us. How did you find us? Did you follow me? Is there someone else with you?" She asked, now becoming more panicked.

Sirius swore and quickly shot a silencing spell at the entrance of the cave.

Malfoy had shut his mouth.

"Well?" she narrowed her eyes at Malfoy. "You have to answer Malfoy."

When Malfoy still looked mutinous, her look became worried and she ran a nervous hand through her hair. She then walked over to Malfoy. She kneeled down by him and grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up into a sitting position. She ended up very close to Malfoy, whose narrowed eyes became wide.

"Malfoy, please. I need to know if there was someone with you, Sirius is the only father I have known, it's really important, and I'm not trying to trick you. Please," she implored of Malfoy, making eye contact to try and impress on him how serious she was.

Malfoy just blinked at her. After a moment though he blushed, dropped his eyes, and tried to move backward.

"I was alone, but… are you really sure he's safe?" Malfoy asked again.

"Yep!" she said smiling happily at him extremely relieved. He gave her another weird look before looking away again. She turned back to the three people behind her. She found Ron looking horrified, Hermione with wide eyes and eyebrows raised, and Sirius looking them with a scowl and an eye twitching. She turned back to Malfoy.

"Listen, you can't tell anyone about this," she said seriously to Malfoy while standing again.

"Harriet!" Hermione very anxious voice cut in, "we can't trust Malfoy."

"She is bloody right mate! There is no way we can trust him." Ron yelled.

"Malfoy… as in Lucius Malfoy's son?" Sirius' eyes narrowed.

"That's right! His dad is a Death Eater! And he wants to be one!" Ron yelled again.

"I am not my Father! And I'm not a Death Eater." Malfoy snarled at Ron.

"Stop!" Harriet yelled interrupting the argument. "Ron, Malfoy and I are on better terms. He actually helped me a bit before the first and second tasks," Harriet said.

"Better terms?" Ron spluttered looking horrified at her.

"Are you saying you trust him Harriet?" said Hermione looking incredulous.

"I… well not completely," she said sending a glance to Malfoy. "But I am currently giving him the benefit of the doubt."

"You can't be serious! It's Malfoy! He's a git! We can't trust him!" Ron yelled at her.

"Well, what do you propose then? We don't have many options." She frowned back turning to face Ron fully and narrowing her eyes.

Ron snorted, "I vote we feed him to Buckbeak."

Malfoy visibly blanched as Buckbeak pawed the ground at the suggestion.

"Ron, we are not killing anyone," Harriet said rolling her eyes.

"Well, it's Malfoy or your Godfather!" Ron said to her. Harriets mouth shut. It was not a good situation, she wasn't sure she could trust Malfoy especially with something this important.

"Ron… I am not killing a fourteen-year-old kid, no matter who his parents are," Sirius interjected while sending a dark glare to Malfoy.

"What do we do then," Hermione interjected. "There are going to be a huge problem if Malfoy suddenly disappears."

Sirius rubbed his eyes.

"I may be able to Obliviate him, but I am not good at it. It's complicated magic. More than likely I would screw it up," Sirius said. Malfoy made a grunting noise of fear.

"Sirius, we can't hurt him," Harriet said worriedly. He looked up and fixed her with a suspicious glare.

"And why are you so concerned about this boy?" he asked her, with heavy implication.

"Sirius! Listen I am just saying that if Malfoy comes back to Hogwarts with half his memory missing, there are going to be questions, and you are the one who is going to be in trouble," she tried to reason.

"I won't tell anyone!"

All of them turned to look at Malfoy who was staring at them all steadily.

"Excuse us if we don't take your word for it. You will go directly to your father as soon as you get back to Hogwarts. Because everyone knows you live for misery like your bigoted, pureblood, old man," Ron spat at him.

"I said I am not my father Weasley!" Malfoy yelled angrily. "I've changed."

"Oh, you are joking! You seriously didn't believe that Harry?" Ron said at her with a sardonic smirk.

She shot a glare at Ron.

"I agree, Harry! We can't trust him. Sirius could be caught," Hermione said nervously.

"I'll take an unbreakable vow!" Malfoy said again, causing the cave to become silent.

Harriet looked confused but Ron, Hermione, and Sirius had all been stunned into silence.

"Whats an unbreakable vow?" Harriet asked.

After a moment Malfoy answered. "It's a binding contract between two wizards or witches. It is unbreakable, and if someone tries to break it, they forfeit their life."

There was a determined look on his face, but Harriet just stared at him in horror.

"You don't know what you are doing kid. Vows like that are no joke," Sirius told Malfoy with a sneer.

"I know what it is, and I know the price. I understand fine!" Malfoy said looking right at Sirius.

"The fact that you would request it so nonchalantly means you don't." Sirius snapped at him.

"Listen, I have no want or need to tell anyone about you, so really it doesn't bug me. I'll make a vow to never disclose your location, so long as you are hiding outside of Hogwarts and trying to protect Harriet." He said with his chin lifted.

There was another long moment of silence.

"I don't like this, it's not right," Harriet said to the group who were not listening. Sirius was still eyeing Malfoy.

"Harriet this is the best way. I need to stay near you, too many things are happening and I think you are in danger. But I can't trust him to respect that. It's this or I obliviate him, but frankly, I don't think I will do it right," Sirius said while glancing at her.

Harriet struggled for a bit to come up with an argument to get Malfoy out of this. She could tell that this was dangerous magic.

"It's fine. I'll do it," Malfoy said again from the floor.

Ron, Hermione, and Harriet glanced uneasily between themselves. However, Sirius seemed to have made a decision.

"Okay, Malfoy will make an unbreakable vow, that will be valid as long as I am hiding here," Sirius said.

"And as long as you are protecting Har - Potter," Malfoy added.

Sirius again was glaring at Malfoy. "Fine. Harriet I am going to have to be the bonder, I know how to do the magic, so he will actually be making the vow to you."

Harriet just nodded nervously. She was definitely not happy with this.

Sirius waved Malfoy's wand and the rope's around Malfoy disappeared.

Malfoy stumbled to his feet and brushed off his robes. They had gotten a bit dirty in the scuffle and his normally slicked hair was rumpled, giving him a just woke up look.

He then looked up, took a step toward her, and held out his hand as if to shake.

Hesitantly she took his hand. Then he kneeled much to her embarrassment. She tried to yank her hand away, but he just shot her a glare and yanked back.

"You need to kneel too," he told her with an eye roll.

"Right" she muttered and kneeled opposite him. Malfoy shifted the grip so that their hands were now joined like they were going to arm wrestle, with their hands at chin level. Harriet looked into his face and found it embarrassing to meet his eyes, so she looked down at the floor.

"You have to look at me the entire time," Malfoy told her, still staring at her.

She took a discrete breath and lifted her chin to meet his gaze with determined eyes. She felt flushed again, but that was forgotten once Sirius stepped over them and placed the tip of Draco's wand just above their fingers.

"What's your first name kid?" Sirius spoke to Malfoy.

"Draco," Malfoy responded.

Sirius snorted, "I see Narcissa kept the family tradition."

Malfoy quirked an eyebrow and seemed his lip twitched in a smile. Harriet was confused but didn't question it as Sirius was now speaking to her. "You repeat after me, Harriet."

At her nod, he began.

"Will you, Draco Malfoy, vow never to jeopardize the safety and freedom of Sirius Black so long as he is hiding near Hogwarts and is protecting Harriet Potter."

She repeated the verse.

"I will," Malfoy spoke calmly.

At this, a ribbon of bright red flames came out of the end of the wand. The stream started to weave around their hands like a snake doing a figure eights around their joined hands in some spiraling pattern.

"Will you vow never to communicate in any way to anyone, except those who are present, about seeing Sirius Black here today. So long as he is hiding here and protecting Harriet Potter."

She repeated the verse.

"I will."

Another tongue of flame that joined the other making the swirling snake longer but not quite joined.

"Will you vow to never jeopardize Harriet Potter, Ronald Weasleys, and Hermione Granger's safety and freedom, by communicating with anyone that they know where Sirius Black is hiding," Sirius said.

She hesitated but then repeated the phrase.

"I will," Malfoy said without hesitation.

The final tongue of flame came out of the wand and joined the others. This tongue of flame connected the flowing strand and revealed a burning spiral, that weaved around their hands and wrists. It burned hotter and turned a deeper red colour making Harriet lean back from the heat.

A few more moments and then the flames vanished with a puff, like a candle being snuffed out.

There was quiet in the cave, as Harriet just reoriented herself in the now dim light. It was after a few beats that Malfoy smirked at her.

"Gonna let go of my hand?"

She practically threw it at him, while scrambling to her feet still flushed. He just laughed.

"There, now I am part of your merry little band of misfits, so maybe I can have my wand back?" Malfoy asked while looking extraordinarily happy to have risked his life in a dangerous vow.

Everyone just shot him an annoyed glare. Harriet walked back over to where Hermione and Ron were. They were giving her the 'we will talk about this later' look.

She glanced back and noticed that Sirius had walked over to Malfoy. Instead of just handing him his wand, he had grabbed Malfoy by the robes, had pulled him in tight, and was now whispering in his ear. She couldn't hear what Sirius was saying, but Malfoy looked a little white.

Finally, Malfoy was released, and he nervously edged himself closer to the exit of the cave now holding his own wand.

Sirius turned and walked back to where the three of them were.

"It's getting late and you guys need to get going," he said while looking at them. "Harriet, keep me up to speed on anything that happens, anything at all," he said while shooting a glare over to where Malfoy was.

"But you are not to be sneaking out of the castle to come see me," he said while turning his stern glare on her. She just nodded. He turned to Ron and Hermione then.

"Hermione, Ron, it was good to see you, you two keep safe alright," Sirius said with a smile at her friends. "Do you mind If I have a quick word with Harriet alone?"

Hermione and Ron both shook their heads and made for the exit, after saying a quick goodbye to Sirius. They left the cave while corralling Malfoy in front of them. Finally, they were alone.

"You know," Sirius began. "It is fate's cruel irony that led me, Sirius Black, to be responsible for a teenaged girl with a taste for bad boys." Harriet felt herself become warm.

"I am sure Lily's having a right laugh wherever she is. James though, would definitely be on my side when I say, stay well away from that Malfoy boy Harriet Potter," Sirius said while giving her another stern glare. The kind of glare she had seen Mrs. Weasley give her own children.

"I… I'm not… that's not it! He has just been nice lately and I decided he deserved a second chance. It's nothing more," she said, again flushing.

"Mmmhmm, well I don't care, no boys till you're thirty. James would always say that when he was holding you. Lily used to tease him and say she would teach you how to get all the boys in school to ask you out, then James would splutter and try to keep you away from her," he laughed at the memories, and Harriet felt herself smiling. "He kept saying something about Lily being the most heinous corruptor of all things sweet and innocent," they both laughed.

"But seriously kiddo, that boy's entire family is bad news. It's a dangerous game to be friends with him," Sirius said gravely.

"I know Sirius, but he says he has changed and doesn't everyone need a chance to prove themselves. To show they are more than the family they came from," she said sadly.

Sirius stared at her a moment then took a deep breath in through his nose and out his mouth.

"Yeah, maybe, I know I did. Merlin, you are your parents' kid. Just make sure that faith doesn't get you hurt," he said sadly, probably thinking of her parents and himself.

"It's okay Sirius, I will be okay. I'm tough," she said, giving him a small smile.

"Are you ever kid. Now get going, or Minnie will send the search party." Sirius pulled her in for a quick hug then ushered her to the exit of the cave.

"Bye Sirius I'll see you soon. Please stay safe."

He smiled as she left.

Outside, Ron and Hermione were standing apart and glaring at Malfoy, who was leaning against the boulder opposite them and scuffing his shoe. They all looked up as she came through.

"Right, we better hurry," she said and set a pace back down the mountain. Ron and Hermione fell into step beside her and to their surprise so did Malfoy.

There was a tense minute where everyone felt the tension mount, but Malfoy just played nonchalant. Harriet was the one to break it.

"You followed us," it was a statement. Malfoy just shrugged.

"I was just going down that way after lunch, and then I just caught you three heading into the woods. You are always getting yourselves into trouble and in honor of our new 'acquaintanceship' I followed." He explained casually, like stalking was the most natural thing in the world.

Apparently, Ron wasn't buying it either.

"You were trying to get us in trouble," he accused.

"I was going to bail you out of trouble if you came upon it," Malfoy glared at Ron. "Thought I was going to have to as well when I lost you then stumbled upon you all in a cave with a notorious mass murderer."

"You were going to take on a mass murder to save us? How very Gryffindor Malfoy," Harriet said with a smirk and Malfoy shot her an annoyed glare.

"Okay, what's going on?" Hermione had stopped and was glaring at Harriet and Malfoy. Malfoy just looked at Harriet.

"I…well we have become… not enemies, I guess is the right term. Malfoy helped me a couple times and he says he is… changing," Harriet said, and could only shrug.

"That's a load of dragon dung, Harry! Slimy git wants something, he hates our guts remember!" Ron spoke loudly still glaring.

"I don't! Hate you that is," said Malfoy said while looking annoyed. "Weasley I know why our dads don't get along, but that's their deal. And I am sorry I made fun of your second-hand stuff and what not. It isn't your fault and it isn't a problem." Malfoy said while meeting Ron's eye. Then his serious face became annoyed. "You still do annoy me though. But that's only because you are so stereotypically Gryffindor that it grates on my Slytherin sensibilities," Malfoy said with a huff.

"And Granger, I am sorry about what I called you in second year. I just grew up that way and was taught a lot about wizarding culture and tradition. I thought you were flaunting customs so casually, but I know now that was wrong. You deserve magic as much as anyone, and I am trying to change. I don't really care who your parents are. Now you only annoy me because you are a know-it-all, and you keep taking my top spot in potions. You are top in every other class and you can't let me have that one!" He said with an annoyed glare in Hermione's direction.

As far as apologies went, it was pretty shite. But coming from Malfoy, it was a bloody miracle.

They all just stared at him in various states of disbelief.

Malfoy finally snapped them out of it when he said it was nearly five and curfew was in half an hour.

They all hustled down the mountain, back through Hogsmeade, and up to the castle. They made it just in time for curfew, and as Harriet, Ron, and Hermione sat down for dinner, Harriet knew her day was far from done. She was going to have to tell Ron and Hermione about everything that happened with Malfoy, but she would probably only tell Hermione about the kiss.


	18. Mazes and Madness

The next few months of March, April, and May were busy but, thankfully, not nearly as exciting as February had been.

Unfortunately, their investigation into Barty Crouch, Bagman and Karkaroff came up to a bit of a halt with a lack of information.

Percy had written back to Ron saying that he didn't know anything about Bertha Jorkins, who was by all accounts a very useless employee. He didn't have anything new to say that they hadn't heard from the Prophet. That's all they could gain from Percy.

While they did discover some names of tried, but acquitted, Death Eater's they didn't have any solid leads. Names like, Avery, Nott, and _Malfoy_ had been mentioned. There were other names as well, but it was hard to know who was a Death Eater, and who was under the imperius curse.

Harriet, Ron, and Hermione focused their attention on learning useful spells. This was interspersed with their actual course work and exam review for Hermione and Ron. Harriet had to do a lot less review because she was excused from exams due to the tournament. However, Hermione did make Harriet review with them because _'it's never too early to be thinking about OWLs,'_ according to Hermione.

Most of Harriet's energy was spent on Defense against the Dark Arts, along with practical transfiguration and charms. She was betting that the final task was going to be some epic battle royal, so she focused a lot of energy on dueling strategies.

She had even been dueling with Ron regularly. They had gotten in trouble at first for dueling when Filch had come across them, so they had had to ask Flitwick is they could use his classroom. He was fine with that so long as they cleaned up afterward and had even given Harriet some useful advice.

"When dueling more powerful people be sure to use your surroundings to your advantage. Remember that simple spells can go a long way, and being able to move properly is a great advantage. Your first task is a good example of this as you were facing an opponent that was larger and stronger than you, but you used simple spells and movement to throw the beast off."

He seemed to greatly enjoy that one of his students was taking dueling seriously and gave her good resources and tricks.

To Harriet's excitement, she had gotten a hand on the defley shield… mostly. She could now redirect Ron's hexes and curses quite well and sometimes she could even send the curses back at Ron, whose shields were not as good.

She surprised herself when she showed up at class and had already looked over the charms, defense spells and transfiguration they would be doing that day. Seemed like she was getting a little ahead just with her practicing. By the looks Ron and Hermione sent her, she could tell they were also happy they were ahead.

They didn't visit Sirius again, but she was sending regular food packages that Dobby packed her. The elf probably knew she wasn't just feeling peckish, but he never commented. It was also nice to get some updates from Sirius more regularly as he was closer.

To her delight it allowed their relationship to grow. She felt like she was finally sending a regular letter to her parent like everyone else in the school did. It made her feel normal and supported.

* * *

Drama struck mid-March in the form of Rita Skeeter, article number four.

Harriet had been reading the Daily Prophet at breakfast, both her and Hermione had a subscription now, when Ginny had walked over to her.

"Hey Ginny," Harriet had said happily. She and Ginny had been good friends since Harriet had saved her in second year.

"Er…morning Harry, um… I have some bad news. Um… it's actually about all of you," Ginny said with a grimace. That had gotten Ron's and Hermione's attention who were busy bickering about who knows what. Ginny handed over a Witch Weekly Magazine

 ** _Harriet Potter's Unrequited Love and Her Best Friend's Betrayal?! – by Rita Skeeter_**

She dropped her head onto the table hard in her exasperation. Unbelievable, that woman!

She raised her head after her exasperation and frustration had given way to pain. Many of the Gryffindors were giving her a look. It was then that she noticed that most of the school was sending suspicious looks their way.

 _If losing her family and entering a dangerous tournament wasn't enough for our poor heroin Harriet Potter, but it seems she is losing at love as well._

 _Our remarkably pretty Harriet Potter seems to have an unrequited love. And who is it? none other than the boy she had to rescue from the lake and long-time friend Ron Weasley._

Harriet groaned at the same time as Ron. Ron actually started smacking his head on the table, while Harriet took a second to rub her temples. Finally, they both shared a grimace and went back to reading.

 _The young girl could have her pick of the fish in the sea, but her heart is set. Ron Weasley seems to be the light in her life, however, happily ever after seems to be out of reach._

 _Ron Weasley also has his heart set, but on a different pretty witch. And who is it that has taken the attention of Harriet's beau. None other than her best friend, the exceptionally beautiful witch Hermione Granger._

 _Mr. Weasley seems to be harboring feelings for the young woman, which are complicated by the fact that Miss Granger is currently the object of affection for the Durmstrang Champion, Victor Krum._

 _Mr. Krum saved Miss Granger from the lake in the second task and has since asked her to visit him in Bulgaria this coming summer._

 _It is exceptional that Miss Granger seems to hold these two boys' hearts. But it seems that she has not chosen._

 _In the meantime, Harriet waits anxiously for her supposed best friend decision to see if she can even have a chance at her own love interest._

 _It is cruel that Miss Granger not only toys with her boy's hearts but also toys with her best friend. Will young Harriet never catch a break._

\- _Rita Skeeter_

Ron looked pale under his the twin spots of red on his cheeks. Harriet herself actually thought it wasn't that bad. It was embarrassing, but after what she had gone through this year, well her skin was now exceptionally thick. Hermione just scoffed at the article.

"It seems we are in an exceptionally tangled love triangle," Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.

Ron blushed higher.

"Apparently," mused Harriet, "I think Skeeter is out to get you, Hermione. Probably for that time by Hagrid's."

She was referring to a time before the second task. Hermione had chased off Rita Skeeter when she had come to bug Hagrid. This was soon after writing that horrible article outing him as a half-giant. Hermione had been raving mad on behalf of Harriet's and Hagrid's abuse from Skeeter's quill and had insulted the women. Skeeter had narrowed her eyes in a look that promised vengeance. Looks like she had gotten it.

"I told you, Hermione! I told you to be careful with Skeeter. That woman is dangerous," Ron said in a huff. He was still obviously embarrassed especially because many people were now looking over at the three of them and pointing.

"I just don't know how she knew about Victor asking me to visit him," Hermione was ignoring Ron.

"What? He really did ask you?" Ron said, now all of his attention on Hermione.

"Maybe she heard you?" Harriet said shrugging.

"What did you say?" Ron asked her.

"But she wasn't even allowed at the tournament and Victor pulled me aside so no one else would hear," Hermione spoke, distracted by the mystery

"Since when is it, Victor?" Ron asked still being ignored.

"Could she have an invisibility cloak?" Hermione asked.

"Not sure, but ask Moody. He caught me under it when I was trying to avoid boys before the Yule Ball. He could see me with his eye," Harriet said

"Hey, don't ignore me, what did you say to Krum?" Ron said indignantly.

"How else she could be listening?" Hermione asked, she was wearing the face she got when she wanted to find the answer to a difficult question.

"Maybe she has you bugged," Harriet said.

"What like crickets?" Ron asked confused at the muggle term.

"No electronics wouldn't work in Hogwarts; the magic disrupts electrical circuits. Really when will you read Hogwarts a History," Hermione added

"Elektrionick?" Ron asked

"Ugh, that woman annoys me, I am going to find out how she does it. And if it's illegal, I'll have her," Hermione said with a dangerous glint in her eye.

"Hermione, you need to drop it! She is dangerous. She has already painted you as some… scarlet women!" Ron said.

Both Hermione and Harriet finally looked over at Ron and then started giggling. He just went red again.

"It's what my mum calls them," said Ron defensively.

"Well I am going to find out how she does it, and no, I am not dropping it," Hermione said with determination. With that, she finished her breakfast and sped off.

"To the library I presume," said Harriet watching Hermione scurry away amusedly.

"Madwoman! Hey Harry, do you know what she said to Krum?" Ron asked her.

* * *

After the drama of the article, the months passed uneventfully. There was one change though.

The relationship with Malfoy had undergone a major shift for the trio.

Harriet was more tolerant of Malfoy. She could admit that she had been surprised by his willingness to enter into an unbreakable vow. He was now in the know of her most important secret. It made her more open to being polite to him. Harriet was easy to impress, so long as you were willing to protect those she loved. And as the weeks passed and there was no mention of Sirius Black being spotted around Hogwart's she grew to trust him more. She would even admit to enjoying the verbal sparring when they talked.

Ron did not trust Malfoy and let him know on every occasion.

Which was surprisingly often. Malfoy seemed much more comfortable to come over to their table in the library, or fall into step with them in the hallway, if only to get some teasing in at Harriet's expense, and some jabs in at Ron's expense.

They still did not get along very well. And part of it was that Ron didn't understand Malfoy's reasoning for doing a turnaround and trying to become their friend.

Hermione had a better understanding of the situation because Harriet had told her about the kiss at Christmas.

Hermione had been stunned at the revelation. Especially when Harriet had revealed his flirtation had been happening all year.

"Harry, I don't like it. He is not a good guy," Hermione had said.

"Hermione I'm not about to start dating him, but he did volunteer to take an unbreakable vow, which frankly is super irresponsible of him to enter such an extreme promise. Maybe he deserves a second chance," Harriet had said.

Hermione had not looked impressed and had even forced Harriet to change spots with her in potions, meaning that she was now between Malfoy and Harriet. Malfoy had looked exasperated and amused at the same time as he eyed Hermione, probably knowing exactly what she was doing. Hermione had just narrowed her eyes at Malfoy in that 'I got my eyes on you,' way of hers. She was going to be a fantastic prefect.

Dean had also backed off a bit. He seemed to get that Harriet was about as comfortable with flirting as she was cuddling a blast-ended skrewt. They had worked on blast-ended skrewts all year in care of magical creatures, so she knew exactly what she was talking about.

He did still take opportunities to flirt occasionally, and while Harriet wasn't sure how to deal with it, she wasn't opposed to it.

All in all, it had been a very relaxed few months in comparison to the rest of the year.

But all good things must come to an end.

McGonagall came to see her at lunch on a Wednesday in the last week of May.

"Potter," McGonagall called.

Harriet who was currently trying to flick peas into Ron's mouth on the opposite side of the table froze like a kid caught doing something naughty. Which she was.

"Yes, most beautiful and clever Deputy Headmistress McGonagall," Harriet said with her sweetest smile.

"Spare me, Potter, we do not play with our food, we eat it. Please remember your age. You too, Weasley." McGonagall shot them a severe look.

"Sorry Professor," they chorused.

"That is not why I am down here though. You will meet at the quidditch pitch at seven o'clock after dinner to get your instructions for the final task. Am I clear?" she asked.

"Yes, mam," Harriet responded.

"Good," she then walked away and back to the head table.

The Gryffindors then began to speculate on what the final task would be, but it had to wait for seven though.

So, at six forty-five she stood up from the Gryffindor table to go see the final task. Everyone around her wished her good luck.

She noticed that Cedric had the same idea and was making his way towards the doors from the Hufflepuff table.

She waited for him at the door, then fell into step beside him with a smile.

"So, what do you think is going to happen?" Cedric asked.

"Not sure," Harriet said. "I thought it would be some kind of dueling tournament."

"Oh yeah, that's a good guess," Cedric said.

"What about you?" Harriet asked.

"Well, Fleur mentioned something underground and trying to find a treasure."

They were both wrong, however.

They approached the pitch and saw Ludo Bagman, Fleur, and Krum standing off the side.

The pitch itself had been completely transformed. The once smooth grass was now sprouting many plants. As Harriet and Cedric approached the others, Harriet recognized the plant.

"They're hedges," she said confused.

Fleur smiled brightly at Harriet. Her attitude towards Harriet had changed dramatically since the second task and they had even hung out a few times since. Fleur believed that Harriet was in desperate need of a makeover and so was giving her things like hair lotion or makeup, while also imparting her knowledge with beauty tips and tricks. Harriet was secretly thankful for the lessons.

"Right you are Harriet!" Mr. Bagman said jovially. "They are small now, but they will be twenty feet by the end of June. Now, now, don't give me that look." Bagman said seeing Harriet and Cedric's unimpressed look. "Your quidditch pitch will be back and after the final task. Now can anyone tell me what we are making here."

There was a beat, then – "A maze," Said Krum.

"Right you are!" Bagman clapped happily. "Now the next task is very straight forward. You just have to get through the maze and to the center where we have placed the Triwizard Cup. First to grab the cup is our champion. Miss Potter and Mr. Diggory will also receive a headstart as they are the ones in the lead. Followed by Mr. Krum, then Miss Delacour."

"We just have to git through zis maze?" Fleur asked.

"Well, there are going to be obstacles. Creatures and spells and the like, but essentially, yes. And all four of you will have a corner of the screens." Mr. Bagman said happily. "Well if there are no more questions you have a month to prepare yourselves. Now, Harriet, can I have a word?"

Fleur and Cedric waved and said goodbye, but surprisingly Krum stayed.

"May I haff a vord also after?" He said to Harriet.

"Oh…um…sure."

"I vill vait over there," he said pointing to the end of the pitch. Then he walked off a little way.

"What can I do for you Mr. Bagman?" she asked.

"Now, Harriet, tell me how you are doing are you feeling okay, do you have resources, I could give you some hints you know…" he said with his eyes wide with implication.

"That's okay. I am feeling alright, and it wouldn't be fair. By the way, Mr. Bagman, can I ask about Mr. Crouch? Is he feeling alright?" she asked.

"Oh, I am sure old Barty is alright," said Bagman dismissively, a little annoyed at being sidetracked.

"Have you seen him?" she pressed.

"Ah… no … but he has sent me letters and sends them to Wetherby his assistant."

"Weasley," she corrected. "And I am surprised he has been out this long. He seemed very dedicated to his job," she continued.

"Oh well, maybe that's why he is out, he needs to relax more," said Bagman. Harriet wasn't getting anywhere.

"Speaking of Weasley's, the Weasley twins, Fred and George, said that you did not answer their letter and wanted me to ask you to respond if you could." She said as she remembered the hurried request from George just before he left.

"Oh yes, yes, I'll…I'll do that, yes right now. Should be getting going Harriet. Make sure you get ready for the event. Good luck." He practically sprinted away from her leaving her blinking at his retreating figure. She shook her head and then walked over to Krum who was waiting.

Krum directed them towards the forest, and Harriet nervously walked half a step behind.

"Er… where are we going?" Harriet asked.

"I don't vont to be overheard," Krum responded.

Finally, they stopped just in the shade of the forest. Night was approaching quickly and there were dark shadows being cast everywhere.

"I vont to know vat is going on between you, the Ron boy and Hermy-own-ninny." Krum said after a moment. Signature glower in place on his heavy brow.

Harriet had expected something much more serious.

"Oh! Nothing!"

Krum glowered harder.

"No really we have all just been friends since first year and that is all we are. Ron and Hermione aren't dating or anything," she elaborated, a little surprised she was having this conversation with an international Quidditch player.

"Hermy-own-ninny talks about Ron ovten." Krum said.

"Well we are all best friends and we are who she spends all her time with," Harriet said.

Krum seemed happier, and his posture seemed to relax. There was silence for a moment then Krum changed the subject.

"You fly very vell, I vos vatching in the first task." He said, smiling slightly at her

Harriet felt herself sprout an inch at the praise.

"Thanks, I was at the world cup and your Wronskei Feint was—"

But then she saw something move behind Krum and instantly spun him around and loosened her wand from her holster. One needed to be careful near the forest.

"Vot is it?" Krum asked.

"I don't know," Harriet said, straining her eyes against the gathering dark.

For a second there was nothing then, to Harriet's immense surprise, Mr. Crouch came stumbling through the trees.

He was filthy and bedraggled. He was also chattering nonsense as he walked over.

"And then Weatherby, do send those letters to Dumbledore to confirm the attendance of the Drumstrang students, and then be sure to accept the invite from Mr. and Mrs. Fudge." He said nonsensically, talking to a tree.

"Isn't he vith your ministry?" Krum said, looking very surprised.

"Mr. Crouch?" Harriet said going forward hesitantly.

"And the Weatherby please send a letter to my wife and son that we will be going to the Anderson's for the holidays, and yes we are very proud of the twelve OWLs our son received."

"He is mad?" Krum said from behind her.

"Mr. Crouch? Can you hear me?" Harriet said approaching closer.

Without warning, Crouch spun and grasped her by the robes pulling her close.

"Dumbledore… I need… Dumbledore… must warn." He said as he slumped down while still grasping her robes. Harriet was startled by the change in the man but regained her calm when he didn't hurt her.

"Okay Mr. Crouch, I'll get you to Dumbledore you just need you to get up," Harriet soothed

"Must speak…must warn… Dumbledore…the tournament…Bertha Jorkins…dead." He rambled.

"Okay, Mr. Crouch you have to get up and come with me," but he had started giving directions to a tree again.

"And then Weatherby please send me a reminder about my appointment with the French minister. And let my son and wife know when to expect me home…"

"Alright, we need to get someone," Harriet said. Krum was looking very unsure.

"I am going to get Dumbledore I know where his office is, I'll be faster." She had said.

"You vill leave me vith him?" said Krum with unease.

"You need to watch him, please I'll be quick and get Dumbledore."

Mr. Crouch then grabbed her clothes and hauled her closer again.

"Need Dumbledore…who you?"

"It's Harriet Mr. Crouch."

"You…with them?"

"No," she had no idea who 'them' was.

"Dumbledores?"

"Yes."

"Dumbledore must know…did something… was stupid… tournament…plot…my son…Voldemort…. grows … it's him… my fault… my son… stronger…must warn…Harriet Potter… Potter." Then he was talking to a tree again.

Harriet knew she needed Dumbledore now.

"Stay here I'll be back," she said moving towards the castle.

"Hurry vont you!" Krum called.

Harriet ran fast up to the castle across the now dark grounds. She sprinted through the doors, up the stairs three at a time. She took the next corner fast and ran headlong into Moody. It was a good thing he had Auror training and she was all bones otherwise he would have gone flying. As it was, he caught her shoulder before she went sprawling.

"Where's the fire Potter?" Moody asked.

"Mr. Crouch is at the edge of the forest. I have to get Dumbledore," she said breathlessly.

Thankfully Moody didn't ask questions.

"Where exactly Potter?"

"Near the Beauxbaton paddock."

"Go get Dumbledore, I'll go ahead," Moody growled already hustling down the hall.

She continued to run to the stone Gargoyle, and as she reached the statue she called, "Licorish wands."

It was the password in November, so worth a shot. Unfortunately, it didn't open.

"Come on please open up!" She yelled desperately at the statue, but it didn't move.

"Um, sherbert lemon…um, ice mice… crap," she would be here all day, time for plan B. "PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE!" She yelled as loud as she could at the statue.

"POTTER!" she looked tp her left and saw Snape striding towards her and glowering menacingly.

"What are you making a racket about?" Snape said stopping in front of her.

"I need to see Professor Dumbledore!"

"The Headmaster is busy."

"I have to see him, Mr. Crouch just stumbled onto the grounds." She pleaded.

"What nonsense!"

"It's not! Please, Professor!" She implored him wide-eyed. She met his eye's. There was a moment where he just stared at her with his own intense gaze.

"You cannot see the headmaster, Potter."

She was ready to rip her hair out in frustration at Snape's cruel smirk.

To her surprise at that very moment, the statue opened then. She turned to the passage when she heard it open and made it all of a step towards the moving staircase before she noticed than Professor Dumbledore was actually walking down to her, wearing bright green robes the color of key lime pie.

"What's going on?" he smiled.

"Professor! You have to come quick. Mr. Crouch just stumbled out of the forest. He is rambling, but he says he has to warn you." She said quickly.

Again thankfully, the professor didn't ask questions

"Lead the way."

She started walked quickly to match his pace.

"What happened Harriet?"

"Mr. Crouch stumbled out of the woods where I was talking with Krum. He was confused and I left him with Krum, so I could get you." She said.

"Did you?" he said and picked up his pace.

"Then I ran into Professor Moody and he went ahead and told me to get you." She said.

"Good. What did Mr. Crouch say?" he said.

"He said that he had to warn you, something about a plot and Voldemort growing stronger," Harriet said.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said and broke into a light jog. Harriet ran to keep up.

They reached the edge of the woods and found Moody leaning over an unconscious Krum.

"Alastor, what happened?" Dumbledore called.

"Just got here myself, my damn leg doesn't move like it used to. He looks stunned," Moody said while looking Krum over.

Dumbledore nodded then raised his wand and shot a silvery bird from the tip. It swooped off into the night.

"I'm going to take a look around," Moody said hoisting his wand, then stomping off into the forest.

"Yes, it is imperative that we find Mr. Crouch," Dumbledore said then leaned over Krum. "Ennervate."

Krum groaned and opened his eyes. Upon seeing Dumbledore, he tried to sit up. Dumbledore placed his hand on his shoulder indicating him to not rush.

"The crazy old man attacked me," he said to Dumbledore, whilst Dumbledore nodded. At that moment Hagrid came sprinting into the area, crossbow in hand and Fang at his heels.

"What happened?"

"Hagrid please go and get Professor Karkaroff and tell him his student has been attacked," Dumbledore asked.

Hagrid looked confused but ran to do what was asked.

Harriet kneeled by Krum and Dumbledore stood up and walked off a bit further, looking at the ground.

Soon Karkaroff was running up with Hagrid.

What followed was a nasty argument. Karkaroff spewing allegations of treachery and Hagrid forcefully defended Dumbledore, while Dumbledore tried to diffuse the situation.

Moody never came back while she was there.

She was led up to the common room by Hagrid and deposited back in the room after listening to Hagrid have a miny rant about foreigners and Madam Maxine in particular.

She guessed that Hagrid was really choked up about the large lady. She knew that Hagrid had not had much luck with his lady love.

She wanted to spend a bit more time consoling Hagrid, but she was desperate to tell Hermione and Ron what happened. It seemed Crouch was actually sick.

But how was Percy receiving letters from a man who was not coherent half the time? And when he was speaking straight to Harriet, he was laboring with sentences.

Then there was the warning from Crouch – Voldemort grows stronger.


	19. Revelations

Harriet sat outside on the lawn spinning a little white flower between her fingers. She was sat underneath one of the large oaks and it was a lovely day. Made more so by the fact that this was one of the best days they had seen in weeks. It had been cold and wet before.

Harriet's mood was pensieve and the feeling swirling in her chest did not match the lovely day.

She had just left Professor Dumbledore's office. She had gone there because she had had a vision during History of Magic. Voldemort had said that Wormtail's blunder had been fixed, whatever that meant. He also said someone was dead, but Harriet wasn't sure who. Finally, he had said that while he wouldn't feed Wormtail to his snake, he would feed Harriet instead.

Her scar had burned with the vision and when she woke up from the dream, it was to see the concerned faces of her schoolmates above her and her on the ground clutching her scar.

Even Binn's wasn't ignoring her and had stopped his lecture and told her to go to the hospital wing.

She had got out of the room and made her way to Dumbledore's office. She had entered the office to find the Minister of Magic himself in the room having a debate with Dumbledore and Moody.

She had seen Moody earlier that week the morning after the Crouch incident. He had been unable to find Crouch. He had also warned her to be careful and pretty much made Ron and Hermione her official bodyguards.

He wasn't the only one. Sirius had scolded her for going off at night with Krum alone and especially when there was someone out to hurt her.

She probably shouldn't even be sitting out here on the great lawn all alone, but she was a little shaken from her visit to Dumbledores office. She had entered the pensieve and seen Dumbledore's memories of the trials that Her, Ron and Hermione had looked up earlier this year. She hadn't meant to be so nosy, but her curiosity drove her. Dumbledore hadn't minded but he had warned her about curiosity killing the cat.

She was shaken however about the revelation about Neville's parents. She had known they had been crucioed. But the way Dumbledore had laid it out, that his parents were in permanent care in St Mungo's and did not even recognize their own son, it made it so much worse than the Prophet. It was a horrible situation and Harriet was upset at herself as well for never bothering to ask Neville himself. Some friend she was.

She was also uneasy because she and Dumbledore had another talk, and he had reaffirmed that Voldemort was trying to rise again and kill her. She had always known, but it felt just around the corner and Harriet's nerves were strung taut.

Now she was sitting beneath the tree trying to calm the nervous feeling she had swirling in her stomach. She needed to focus on the final task, but she also couldn't seem to shake the feeling of foreboding.

She was distracted when she heard approaching footsteps and looked up to see Malfoy walking towards her. He gave her the signature smirk then plopped down beside her with his back to the tree as well.

"You certainly know how to make a scene. Though there are easier ways to get the Professor's attention… actually, with Binn's maybe frightening fits are the only way," Malfoy said, and she could hear his teasing tone.

"Ha Ha," was all she could really muster as a comeback, she wasn't on her game.

There was a beat of silence, "Are you alright?" Malfoy asked her quietly.

She looked up and saw him trying to pick invisible lint off his trousers.

"I guess, just a bit worried. There is…a lot going on." She responded truthfully.

He just hummed in a noncommittal way.

"Are you worried about your… caveman friend?" Malfoy asked. It was the first time he had talked about Sirius.

"Caveman friend?" she snorted. Malfoy just gave her an annoyed look.

"I guess a bit, you kept his secret so far, so I am less worried about it," she smiled at him gratefully.

"You will have to tell me the story of how you found out he was innocent. Seems interesting," Malfoy said quietly.

"Yeah, maybe one day, it's a pretty good one. Was a bit scary at the time though," she grimaced at the memory.

There was silence again as Harriet just continued twirling her flower. And Malfoy picked at the invisible lint.

"What's got you all quiet then? If it isn't because you're worried I'll snitch?" he asked.

She didn't know what to tell him, 'oh well you know this whole evil madman out to kill me thing.'

"Hmm… well…there are… a lot of strange things happening. I… have a feeling that something bad is going to happen." She told him, again going for honesty.

"Well… I don't know a lot about strange things, but I did hear about the third task. If it is just a maze with obstacles, then you will be fine. This kind of thing is right up your alley as well, so at the very least you don't have to worry about that," Malfoy said. He was a bit awkward, like he was trying to comfort her but didn't know how exactly.

She snorted again at how uncomfortable he looked.

"I can't believe it, Draco Malfoy is trying to make me feel better, not worse," she said with her own smirk. He became a little pink.

"Hey! I have been nice to you all year, thank you very much. I wouldn't do this for anyone you know!" Malfoy said trying to regain his cool image.

She rolled her eyes at his pompous attitude making an appearance again. "Relax I'm teasing. But it really has been nice that you haven't been out to ruin our lives this year. What changed?"

Malfoy took a long minute of staring at the ground before answering.

"I did what I did because I wanted to be like my father…. He is rich and powerful, and I thought that was everything. I was always trying to be the best, but with him, it was never good enough. I was worse to you three because you guys were always showing off. I know, I know, it wasn't intentional. But Granger beat me in every test and my father hated that. Weasley went around with you and was awarded for his bravery and my father really hated that. And you... you outshone me by a mile no matter what I did, in quidditch especially. I was always trying to please him but… I saw a side to my father recently that I… didn't like," he paused and seemed to be struggling. She waited because he looked like he wanted to speak, eventually though she broke the silence.

"Hey… I'm not going to force you to tell me, but I can listen. And I owe you big time for keeping quiet so I will keep your secret too," Harriet said.

Malfoy started ripping up some grass looking frustrated. "He… hits my mother." The silence that followed was incredibly heavy. Malfoy was staring hard at the ground and she was looking at him with wide eyes. This was the second revelation she had heard about personal lives today. It seemed everyone had a story. Eventually, he continued.

"I… found out this summer. He got really drunk and I had broken some of my potions equipment. It was an accident… I told my dad and he flew off the handle. He hit me once, but then mum stepped in. She got me out of the room, and… she took the brunt of his anger. I started to notice during the summer what was happening. He… it's just… I…" Malfoy was struggling again with words and looked so frustrated. "I really hate him. How dare he do this to her. She…is the best mum." He now just looked hurt and confused.

"Why doesn't she leave?" she asked hesitantly.

Malfoy scowled again, "I think she is scared of him, or of what people will say. I didn't really know my mums' side of the family, but I know for sure that they were really old fashioned. They believe in blood and purity and status. Although, I think her biggest fear is that if she leaves, he will get custody of me. It might happen, he has a lot of power." He ripped up some more grass in frustration. "I just, don't want to be like him anymore. I would never… do something like that. And all the while my mum has been protecting me." He glanced over at her then.

"I just began to think a bit more about everything I have done and what I have been led to believe, and I guess I just realized it wasn't right. But sometimes I'm so confused, you know! These mean thoughts come into my head and sometimes I just blurt them out, but then I immediately feel guilty, but I just don't know what I am supposed to do. I don't know how to protect her," Malfoy brought his knees up and rested his forehead against them, looking for a moment very much like the confused fourteen-year-old he was. Malfoy had dropped his mask.

"I… yeah, that's horrible. I'm so sorry about your mum, Malfoy… and I never liked your dad anyway." Harriet added. Malfoy snorted because frankly, that had been obvious.

There was again silence.

"I think you're doing the right thing Malfoy. I can see how it would be confusing. Sometimes I wonder how I would have turned out if my aunt and uncle had treated me like they treat my cousin. They doted on him and made him think that the world owed him everything, and he could take whatever he wanted. Maybe I would have been like that. But… if you know you are wrong and try to fix things, then I think you are on the right path. I think you are a good person Malfoy, you try to hide it, but you are nice." She smiled at him.

He smiled in return. There was a moment where there was just silence under the tree.

"I think," Malfoy spoke. "Even if you were treated differently, you would have ended up the same. It's your nature."

She blushed. "Maybe, maybe not. But looks like it's in your nature too."

He became pink as well, then his face got a nervous look and he blushed harder.

She felt the shift in the air, a strange tension, and she realized that they were alone, under a tree, by a lake, with sunset approaching. She blushed harder as well.

Malfoy was looking over at her and looked again like he wanted to say something.

"Can… can I kiss you?" Malfoy asked her, getting even redder but obviously mustering his courage. She got red up to her hairline.

"What?! I don't think…" she nervously started to play with the fabric of her skirt.

"It's for good luck. I probably won't be seeing a lot of you before the Tournament with my exams and with you getting ready for the third task." Malfoy said, keeping his eyes on hers.

"But I haven't even decided if I like you yet!" Harriet narrowed her eyes.

"You don't have to really like me, but we could just try it," he said looking at her imploringly.

She took a good look at him then. He was a cute boy, she could admit. He still had that young look about him as he was still only fourteen, but she could tell he would be handsome when he grew up. His blonde hair looked silky and his eyes were a really stunning grey.

She swallowed. She couldn't deny that she was curious. She had listened to older girls in the dorms and even had heard Lavender's limited experience in the subject. Hermione had recently met up with Krum a few times and they had kissed. Hermione had said it felt nice.

It wasn't like a kiss would hurt. She could see if she liked it, last time had been much to fast and too much of a surprise to make an informed decision about whether she liked kissing or not.

"Fine. BUT... this doesn't mean anything. I just want to see what it's like," she said as Malfoy's face lit up. Malfoy just nodded and stared at her.

There was a beat where neither of them made a move. They were both blushing and unsure. Really how do you just start kissing?

"Right," Malfoy said, "I guess I'll just…"

He leaned in, placing his hand between their bodies on the grass. His face got closer and she felt her stomach do a backflip and she forced herself not to flinch or move back. Her face felt like it was on fire and decided to close her eyes when she started to go crosseyed.

He brushed his lips against hers, very hesitantly at first. Then he pressed a bit more. They were kissing.

It was a bit weird, but in a nice way. She was having little flutters in her stomach, but they were slightly overruled by the hesitancy in her mind. She knew she was overthinking everything, but she didn't know what to do. What do you do with your hands when you kiss? Why did no one tell her these things?

Malfoy then twisted his head to the side, and the feel of his lips moving against hers gave her a shot of pleasure. She tentatively moved her head as well and Malfoy hummed.

There were a few more moments where Malfoy very tentatively and slowly moved his lips against her own, and she softly mimicked his movements. But soon she leaned back, ending the kiss. They were both still blushing.

Malfoy's eyes went back to his knees, but he was still smiling.

Harriet also looked away, back out to the lake. She could fell that she was tomato colour.

After a moment Harriet noticed that it was starting to get dark and it would probably be dinner soon.

"Um, Malfoy, it's getting a bit late. I think we have to go in soon," she said chancing a glance at him.

"Ah, right. Why don't you go ahead and I'll come a couple of minutes behind." He said giving her a quick look as well.

She nodded and stood up, she gave him one last glance and then turned to walk back to the castle. She had little flutters in her stomach, but for the most part, she was confused. With Malfoy, everything was just so complicated. But despite all this, she was surprisingly feeling calmer.

Kissing, she decided, was alright.

* * *

Malfoy's prediction, that he wouldn't be seeing a lot of her, turned out to be true.

She had only seen him in class or in the great hall.

She was spending all her time in an empty classroom practicing. She had mastered a few very handy spells, like _stupefy, impedimenta, reducto, point me, revelio,_ _bombarda_ , and some useful transfigurations.

She was on fire in terms of learning and performing spells, her written marks were suffering a bit though. At least she didn't have to study for exams.

Ron and Hermione were her practice dummies and absolute champs about the entire thing. When Harriet pointed out that they were giving up study time, Hermione just said it was fine, and at least they would ace DADA.

One afternoon they were taking a break and Ron looked out the window on to the grounds.

"Wonder what Parkinson is doing?" Ron said.

Sure enough, Pansy was outside leaning against a tree and by herself. She had her hand cupped in front of her mouth.

"She looks like she's talking on a walkie talkie?" Harriet stated confused.

"She can't be, electronics don't work remember," Hermione stated.

While weird, it wasn't too suspicious.

The only other event of note was when they had accidentally come across Fred and George who were arguing about blackmailing someone. It had really made Ron nervous and Harriet and Hermione also agreed that it was not good if the twins were doing something illegal.

Other than that, the month seemed to be going faster than Harriet liked, and the soon it was the day before the event.

She had spent exams week going to her exams but just reading in them. The Herbology exam was today and she had been told by Professor Sprout that she didn't even need to show up and could take the time for independent study.

She rather listlessly walked up to the library while her friends left for the greenhouse. She was contemplating what book to read when she was woken from her musing by hearing voices arguing around the corner ahead of her. It went to show her level of paranoia when she hid instead of walking into the open.

"I do not understand why you are so concerned for tomorrow, Minerva," Snape's unmistakable drawl sounded. "Your golden girl seems to be doing just fine on her own."

"Severus, she has done well but that doesn't exclude the fact that I think she is much too young for some of the things I know they are putting in that maze," McGonagall responded.

"So young and yet able to become a criminal," he stated.

"Not this again Severus, there was no evidence that Harriet stole from you, you wrote to Lupin yourself,"

"Oh, and Lupin would never cover for his ex-best friends' daughter, the thought is unthinkable," Snape drawled sarcastically.

"Maybe, but there is no evidence that Harriet stole that Gillyweed," McGonagall stated adamantly.

"Not just Gillyweed Minerva, lacewing flies, and boomslang skin were also stolen that night. They are both needed in Polyjuice Potion. I can only imagine the trouble your little princess is getting up to with Polyjuice. Which, may I remind you, is an expellable offense."

"Drop it, Severus, you have no proof!" and with that Harriet heard McGonagall stomp off.

Snape moved on as well and Harriet stayed in the spot for a while thinking.

So when Snape had accused her of stealing the lacewing flies or the boomslang skin he hadn't been talking about the time in second year. It had been recent.

Which meant someone in the castle was using Polyjuice. Maybe it had nothing to do with anything, but she highly doubted it. It always led back to this bloody tournament.

Unlike Snape, however, she knew that she hadn't taken it and also had a suspect. Barty Crouch had been near the dungeon that night.

It wasn't making sense though. Why would Mr. Crouch want her dead? And if he was so invested in her death that he would make an elaborate plot, why didn't he even show up to watch her die? Or maybe he was showing up but was Polyjuiced, but that still didn't really make sense either. And also, Crouch was a high-level ministry official, what was the point of breaking into Hogwarts and stealing Snape's supplies if he could get his own?

Then, when he did show up, he wasn't polyjuiced at all and was instead completely crazy. But in his sanest moments, he had been giving her a warning. Why would he try to warn Dumbledore of a plot at all if he was behind it?

Harriet doubted from her last encounter that Crouch could have even made the complicated Polyjuice potion in his current state of mind.

Moreover, Barty Crouch was well known for being an extreme stickler to regulations and very against the use of dark magic. He had been brutal in the first war as a magistrate and had called for extreme punishment of Voldemort's supporters.

So why the hell had he been down in the dungeons at all? Unless there was a second Barty Crouch.

It took a moment for her to remember that there actually was another Barty Crouch, Barty Crouch Junior. Could his son have been involved? Crouch had been raving about his son the night that Harriet had found him.

It took her another moment to remember that Crouch Junior was dead according to Sirius.

Great so her only suspects were a dead supporter of Voldemort or a crazy, missing, opposer of Voldemort. That was a crappy list.

* * *

It was June 24th and she would be competing in the final event in the late afternoon.

She had a long shower and decided she could wear her champion uniform later. She went down to breakfast, and as she entered the Great Hall Gryffindors and some Ravenclaws started cheering. She blushed and sat down across from a grinning Ron and Hermione.

She had told them about the conversation she had overheard between McGonagall and Snape, but they had both downplayed it. Hermione and Ron still had exams and she had to get through a maze of death, the next day, so it was put into the 'deal with later' category.

That was fine with Harriet as right now she was enjoying the good mood and celebratory atmosphere. It was the last day of exams and the tournament would finish tonight. Harriet felt much better about this task as well, because her friends' lives weren't dependent on her winning, and she was feeling much more prepared.

The good mood lasted until the Daily Prophit arrived, and with it, Skeeter's final article.

 ** _Harriet Potter: Deranged and Dangerous?_**

Harriet closed her eyes and took a deep breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth.

 _Harriet Potter, the fourth champion of the Triwizard Tournament, is prone to seizure-like fits. At the start of this month, Harriet Potter collapsed in class and started to wither in pain, according to sources. She was screaming and clutching the infamous scar on her chest (a relic from You-Know-Who's attack on her as an infant.)_

 _Experts all agree that phantom pain in said scar is impossible and is most likely a call for attention._

 _"It is probably her lack of emotional nourishment as a child, which results in imaginary pain in the scar that she got when her parents were murdered." Says one expert._

 _"She could just be making it up for more attention," says another._

 _It is worrying that the girl who lived would go so far for attention to be drawn to her and seems to imply some psychological imbalances. More worrying still is when you combine such a mindset with being a parselmouth._

 _A concerned student told me about this strange ability that the girl posses and this reporter wonders how and why she has developed such a dark ability?_

 _"There was a time in second year when someone was attacking students. And everyone thought it was Potter. People still think it was Potter," said a concerned student._

 _"I would not trust a parselmouth with this competition, they are quite dangerous, as snakes have always been a symbol of dark magic," said the leader of a defense organization._

 _It is worrying that such a girl is in this competition, and will such a dangerous atmosphere bring out the worst in Harriet and affect her psyche?_

Harriet sighed as she put the paper off to the side. Across from her, Hermione was scowling.

"How does she know? How is she getting into the school? Concerned student my ass I bet it was Parkinson," Hermione said frustrated.

"Wow Hermione, you just swore," Ron said with his eyes wide.

"I take it you haven't got a lead on how she is bugging us then?" Harriet asked.

"There is just no way she could have heard…" a dreamy expression stole over Hermione's face and she started doing some weird movements with her hands. Ron and Harriet shared a glance as they watched her. Then Hermione banged her fist on the table, making her and Ron jump.

"I think I got her! I just have to check one thing, oh this is good," Hermione then ran off towards the library.

"Oi Hermione we got exams!" Ron yelled.

"I'll be quick!" she called back and then was gone.

"Mental that woman. By the way, what are you going to do while we write the exams? Read again?" Ron asked her.

"Probably," she shrugged.

But she didn't end up reading. She ended up spending a wonderful day with Mrs. Weasley and Bill Weasley. All the champion's families had come to watch the event and Mrs. Weasley and Bill were there for her. They spent the afternoon walking around the grounds of Hogwarts and Harriet got to hear their stories of the place. Soon they were back in the great hall for early dinner, and they were joined by the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione. Harriet had excused herself a bit earlier to get changed into her uniform and now sat wearing the Potter name proudly beside her adopted family.

The happy feeling dimmed as Dumbledore announced that it was time for the third task, and for the champions to follow Hagrid again down to the arena.

Harriet stood up to cheers but was more focused on the family that was now trying to squeeze her to death. Hermione grabbed her tight and said to remember to use her head. Ron squeezed her and told her she was strong enough to whoop any monsters arse so not to worry. Ginny and the twins all squeezed her together and Bill gave her a quick hug. Mrs. Weasley, came over teary-eyed and straightened her uniform.

"Your parents would be very proud Harriet. We all are," then Mrs. Weasley held her tight for a moment and Harriet enjoyed the warmth.

* * *

The quidditch pitch was now unrecognizable. Large hedges, twenty feet tall now covered the field.

There was a little area at the end of the pitch that had been set up with two sets of large stands and a little area of grass at the bottom. In the middle of the two stands, there was a high table that had five seats for the judges. The only other area was a small open-sided tent where Madam Pomfrey could be seen setting up supplies.

She had been told that the fifth judge for the day would be the Minister of Magic himself. Percy was apparently taking quite a bit of heat after Crouch disappeared from Hogwarts. He was officially missing some were shifting the blame onto Percy.

The Champions stood off the side and waited for the stands to fill. They did not have to wait long as soon the stands were filling with student, parents and ministry officials. This was the final task and some big-name head of departments were in the crowd.

Harriet decided to ignore the strangers, who were making her nervous, in favor of looking for her friends. They weren't hard to spot as the large group of red hair was sitting in the front row with one girl with bushy hair. They all waved when they saw her looking. She felt her gaze drift up as well and she very quickly located a head of blonde hair. Malfoy was looking at her intently and gave the smallest of nods. She smiled and looked back over to the high table which was now filling with the judges. It was almost time.

McGonagall, Hagrid, Flitwick, Sprout, and Moody all came towards them then.

"Champions," McGonagall said to get the champion's attention. "Please note that we professors will be patrolling the edge. If you ever get stuck or need to get out, please send up red sparks."

They all nodded, and the Professors turned to walk around the maze. But not before Hagrid gave her a wink and a thumbs up.

She recognized Mr. Holly bustle forward again. He greeted them and moved towards Fleur first. He started to place the Videus charm on her. Fleurs face appeared on two large screens that floated ten feet above the tops of the hedges. Next, he placed the charm on Harriet, who felt the same unpleasant feeling of having many eyes on her. Her face appeared next to Fleurs on the screens. Finally, he finished with Krum and then Cedric, whose faces then filled in the other boxes of the screen making it look like a window. They were ready to begin.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE FINAL TASK OF THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT!" Bagman shouted from where he stood at the judge's table, with the sonorous charm amplifying his voice. The crowd sent up a large cheer.

"I am Ludo Bagman, Head of Magical Sports and Games and ex beater for the Wimbledon Wasps. I will be your presenter this evening, as well as one of the judges of this prestigious event. Now may I introduce the other judges."

"From Beuxbaton, Headmistress Madam Olympe Maxine! From Durmstang, Headmaster Igor Karkaroff! Hogwarts very own, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore! And Britains very own Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge!"

The crowd cheered.

"Another introduction to our lovely champions for those of you watching at home. Representing Beuxbaton, iiitttsss FLLLEEUURR DELACOURRRR!" The crowd hooted and roared its approval. Fleur smiled widely and waved.

"Representing Durmstrang, a celebrity in his own right, welome VICTOR KURM!" the crowd started to chant 'Krum, Krum, Krum' and stomp their feet. Krum didn't even seem to notice the attention.

"The Hufflepuff Hogwarts Champion, here he is, it's CEDRIC DIGGORY!" The yellow and black position on the stands practically exploded with screams, but they weren't alone as practically all of Hogwarts joined in. Cedric took a step forward and waved.

"And Finally! Representing Hogwarts as well, it's HARRIET POTTER!" This time the red and gold area leaped to their feet, but the rest of Hogwarts still cheered along. Harriet gave a small wave and couldn't stop a small grin from appearing despite her increasing nerves.

"Now we will soon begin, but first the Champions must know their task. In the center of the maze is the Triwizard Cup. The first one to make it to the cup will win the Tournament and one thousand Galleons! There are going to be many obstacles in the way, so keep on your toes champions. Now as it stands, we have Fleur Delacour the Beuxbaton Champion in fourth place at seventy-two points. This means that she will be entering the maze last. Victor Krum of Durmstrang is in third place and is at seventy-nine points, and therefore he will enter the maze after the two leaders. The current leaders are at eighty-six points each and will be entering the maze together. This will be of course Cedric Diggory and Harriet Potter of Hogwarts."

The crowd sent up another cheer, with Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs being the loudest.

"Now it is time to begin, at the sound of the wand the Hogwarts Champions will enter the maze. Are we ready?"

The crowd stilled and the silence became palpable

"On your marks…get set…" BANG.

The sound shot out from Bagman's wand and Harriet followed Cedric into a dark gap in the tall hedges. Instantly it was like cotton had been stuffed in their ears and the sound of the crowd was deafened.

In they went with Harriet following just behind Cedric.

They quickly came across a fork in the road and Cedric and Harriet shared a look.

"Good luck Harriet," Cedric said with a smile and walked towards the right path.

"You too," she called and made her way to the left side.

And then she was alone in the dark maze.


	20. And Then There Was One

Across Europe, people had listened to Bagman's introduction. Many had settled in to watch the event. The Triwizard tournament had become an absolute hit. Many gathered in parties to watch, happy to experience exciting magic from the comfort of their homes. If they weren't at home or couldn't afford a Videus crystal, then people had flocked to pubs where the event could be watched. The leaky cauldron, the three broomsticks, and the Hogshead had rarely had been so packed, as people piled in to watch the final task. Bets were placed and toasts to the champions rang out!

In the Leaky Cauldron, a man with many scars and scruffy robes got comfortable in his seat. Unlike the crowd around him, Remus Lupin was more nervous than excited. He would be watching his favorite student and the girl he thought of as a niece, take on scary and exciting creatures. He hoped his nerves would hold.

In Hagrid's hut, two large black dogs sat in front of a Videus screen that Dumbledore had set up himself. Fang was not paying attention to the screen and was sniffing at the unfamiliar dog. The other dog was looking at the screen with rapt attention. Sirius watched his goddaughters face as she listened to Bagman. He was nervous for her and hoped that nothing happened she couldn't handle.

Finally, everyone across Europe quieted down as Bagman counted down.

With a bang, they were off, and the world watched as Harriet and Cedric entered the maze.

* * *

Harriet very quickly encountered her first obstacle, but hinkypunks didn't phase her. She recognized the little light for what it was and didn't follow it down the path. She had no doubt that it would have led her right into a bog, but she chose the opposite direction without fuss.

The next obstacle, however, caused her a bit of trouble.

She rounded a corner deeper in the maze and came to a skidding halt when she saw a giant statue in front of her, it stood at about fifteen feet. The statue was roughly in the shape of a man, but like a child had made it from playdough. Thick tree trunk legs and a barrel body. Its arms were giant fingerless clubs that were in longer in proportion to its body, like a gorilla. However, for what it lacked in the finesse of its shape it made up for in style. There was an intricately carved pattern on its body, that glowed a faint blue. However, the strangest thing about it was that it was wearing a bucket on its head.

Well, maybe not a bucket, but some black helmet. She had half a second to appraise the giant before it lumberingly turned towards her. As it turned the heavy mass shook the ground slightly and Harriet swallowed. She didn't like the look of that giant thing and decided to take action.

" _Reducto!"_ Her blasting spell hit the statue and blasted a hole in the torso. Celebrations were short-lived as the blasted hole just seemed to fill itself in. The giant focused on her and there was a brief second where she could swear it was glaring at her through its weird helmet. Then it started to move.

It came lumbering towards her with surprising speed.

She squeaked an embarrassing "eep!"

Then lifted her wand again and fired a second reducto, this time aiming for the head. She was shocked, however, when the spells seemed to be absorbed by the helmet, not even making it's regular 'BOOM.'

The effect that the bucket had on her spell surprised her so much that she wasted a couple of precious seconds. The thing was now upon her and it lifted its arm to swing down at her.

Crap!

She waited for the last second and dived forward and to the right, somersaulting out of the way. She scrambled to regain her footing slipping a few times on the wet grass. The statue was now spinning slowly to swipe at her again with its left arm. Fortunately, it didn't have much agility, and corners seemed to be a problem.

The giant arm came down right where she had been a moment earlier and she was off to the races. She ran down the corridor and away from the thing, moving forward, and in the direction she wanted to go.

Unfortunately, it was chasing her, its giant, heavy strides shaking the ground. It was gaining on her despite her head start.

Okay, don't panic, think it through, she told herself. What was it? It clicked then what it was. Mr. Prevost had told her about it at the Yule Ball. A golem! Giant guardians that you couldn't destroy unless you hit their core.

Three guesses where the core was on the golem chasing her. It was probably under the strange bucket on its head. The dark black bucket that was probably made of Lemuria Obsidian based on how it had absorbed the spell she had fired at it.

So, she wouldn't be able to get to the core with magic, due to Lemuria Obsidians ability to absorb magic. But maybe she could get at it physically, as the black rock was extremely brittle!

Plan made, she aimed her wand ahead. She wouldn't have time to make a mistake on this, and she really hoped her transfiguration was up to scratch. Fortunately, she would be transforming like substances so it should be okay.

Her wand was aimed at the hedges and she yelled out two _diffindo_ cutting curses. The spell hit the hedge and cleaved off two thick branches. The hedge however immediately repaired itself, by regrowing the spot that was bare.

That was fine with her because she was more interested in the branches of the hedge now lying uselessly on the ground. She skidded to a halt beside the branches and started some speedy transfiguration. One of the branches turned into an object that she had become very familiar with this year. A crossbow.

Due to her familiarity, she was able to shape the transfiguration exactly how she wanted. She then turned the second branch and changed it into a bolt. This took half a second longer because she had to change the arrow point into metal.

The golem was closer. She picked up the objects, and with surprising speed, she knocked the bolt, brought it up to her shoulder, spun to face the golem, and took aim.

She took a fraction of a second to breathe out, steady her arm, and then fired.

The golem was only ten feet behind her with its arm was already raised to strike. Her aim was true, and the blot splintered the helmet and it shattered around the golems head. Its lumpy imitation head was now exposed.

The golem was still coming at her though, the arrow had not shattered the core, just got rid of the helmet. The giant was on top of her and ready to strike.

She dropped the crossbow, lifted her wand again, and held her ground. She really hoped this worked.

" _REDUCTO!"_

Her spell hit the Golem's head point blank and the clay head exploded backward.

There was a tense second where both the golem and Harriet were frozen. Then the giant clay monster seemed to crack like pottery. The cracks spread like spider webs over its body, then it crumpled and fell into a pile of clay pieces at Harriet's feet. Harriet could only stare at it wide-eyed and breathe out a sigh of relief, that it had worked.

"Thank you, Hagrid," she murmured, thankful the giant man had taught her such a useful skill.

* * *

"Excellent!" Bagman's voice rang out back in the spectator area. "Miss Potter defeats a golem with some excellent transfiguration. Who knew she could fire a crossbow! It was a close one though! A couple more seconds and Miss Potter would be a pancake HAHAHA"

Hermione and Ron in the crowds breathed out a sigh of relief together. They did become a bit embarrassed when the realized that they were clutching at each other and jumped away with their cheeks pink.

"Oh, and look over their Cedric is taking on a blast-ended skrewt!"

* * *

Harriet decided that she wanted to keep her crossbow in case she ran into another golem. She did cut and transfigured another bolt for the crossbow, then carried on with the maze. She kept moving in the rough direction of northeast using the point me spell to keep her self orientated.

When she turned the next corridor, she froze at the strange sight ahead of her.

There was a bathroom sink in the middle of the path. Well, it looked like a sink at least. It was a thin pedestal with a flat square counter on top, and a glowing blue tap on top of that. It wasn't quite a sink though, as there was no basin, and the tap faced backward and away from the pedestal. If water came out of the tap it would hit the ground and not the counter.

Maybe she had to execute proper hygiene to get past the obstacle.

It wasn't doing anything but cautiously she crept forward, waiting for it to do something. She stopped five feet in front of it and appraised the strange sight.

There was something in front of the tap as well, it looked like a pen, but without a ballpoint or any visible ink. It was definitely a trap, and there was probably something that she had to do to get by it. She could go back and find another way, but no guarantee that would be better, and this seemed easier than fifteen feet golems.

She decided that she may as well continue forward, so she took a step towards the pedestal.

Instantly the trap sprung. Strange misty white walls, that she could just see through sprung up around her. She was a misty cube, with the pedestal in the center. It would not have been so bad, except the tap in the middle started to leak water.

Well, not leak, it was more like gushing. Water flowed quickly from the tap and started to spread across the floor.

She ran forward to the opposite side and placed her hands against the misty wall. It acted solid so there was no way she was physically getting through it. She stepped back and fired a _reducto,_ thinking she may be able to break it. She wasn't terribly surprised when the spell flew through the wall acting like there wasn't a barrier at all. It would be too easy if she just fired _reducto's_ all day.

The water was up to her ankles.

She dropped her crossbow, ran back to the pedestal, and picked up the weird pen, maybe it was a clue. She recognized it as a steele, an object used by rune makers to carve out their symbols. She recognized it because Hermione took ancient runes. When she picked it up there was a flash of light and symbols began to appear across the flat part of the pedestal.

The script flowed from right to left across stand and was obviously spelling something out. When the writing finished there was a large space at the bottom, which indicated that it was to be used as a place to write a rune or runes.

The only problem was Harriet knew nothing about runes. She had been shown a couple by Hermione but had never shown any interest in them. And now it was coming back to bite her in the ass. She dropped the steele. There was honestly nothing she could do with it.

The water was at her knees

She looked around frantically. Okay, okay, think. What could she do? But she was drawing a blank and was starting to panic.

She was trapped inside and couldn't break out.

Break out!

A light bulb went off and she realized she had to break out of here as she had broken into Snape's office. This trap was acting like the tripwire charms that Snape had used, in that it was a created a sheet of magic that contained an area. Maybe she could find the point of origin of the spell and reflect it back on itself. Thereby breaking the cube.

She was guessing that every side of the cube would have its own point of origin somewhere along the edge of the square, so she ran forward to the side of the direction in which she wanted to go.

The water was just above her knees as she splashed forward. She cast a series of spells. Firstly, _oculus aquaris_ a spell she had learned for the second task but had not needed, it allowed her to see underwater like she was wearing goggles. Next, _Sonorous aquaris_ which allowed her to speak underwater making spellcasting easier. And finally, the _magilico_ spell, that helped reveal the presence of magic by creating a little light at the end of the wand that would flare up when near a particularly high concentration of magic.

Unfortunately, the magical revealing spell was pretty useless most of the time, so she would also have to use her own ability to sense of magic to find the origin. This required a great deal of concentration that she wasn't sure she could muster in the current situation.

Quickly she got to work. She started where she could reach above the water on the left-hand side. She went slow. She could not miss the point of origin. She ran her hands and wand along the edge, trying desperately to focus on the feel of magic, versus the feel of water sloshing at her hips.

Slowly she ran her hand and wand up the edge from about hip level. It was torturous to try and keep her mind focused on the task and not the rising water.

Keep calm, keep calm.

Fortunately, the box was not tall, so she could reach the top edge of the box.

Unfortunately, by the time she started on the top edge the water was at her chest. She started to take deep breathes as she moved along in preparation.

She was midway along the top when the water reached her chin. What she wouldn't give to be taller. She paused to cast a flotation charm on herself.

 _"Supernatentis,"_ she said and she felt herself bob up so that her shoulders just rested above the water. Another spell she had learned in preparation for the second task.

She continued her scanning while now floating along in the filling tank.

As she finished the end of the top edge, she was now being squished by the water, her floating charm, and the roof of the cube. In the top corner, she took a second to cancel her floating spell.

" _F_ _inite supernatentis"_

Instantly she felt herself drop in the water and was surprised when she submerged. She came back to the top and held her self afloat by treading water. She didn't have much space though.

There was little more than a half foot gap between the water and the top of the cube now. She lifted her face as the gap between water and roof closed. Deep breath, deep breath, three, two, one.

Harriet took one last large gulp of air and submerged. She didn't know how long she could hold her breathe for, but she wasn't willing to bet on a long time.

She began her scanning again starting in the top corner and working down. It was awkward trying to swim down while scanning. She was moving faster than before, being a little less cautious in her desperation to not drown.

Her eyes were trained on her wand and her mind was focused on her hand as she moved down, but as the seconds passed, she felt her lungs start to burn. Keep focused, keep focused

It must have taken her about forty-five seconds to scan the left edge and now she was starting on the bottom. However, her lungs were starting to scream for air, and spots were beginning to dance in her vision. She focused all her energy on her hand and the end of her wand, while precious little bubbles were slipping past her lips.

She was moving fast along the bottom and therefore almost missed it. It was the faintest tingle on her finger, but she didn't know if it was the lack of air or magic. She moved back an inch or two and brought the tip of her wand close, the end of her wand got the faintest bit brighter, and her fingers tingled just a bit. The spot was in the middle of the bottom edge.

She hoped that this was the spot, cause if not she was wasting the last of her air.

" _F_ _lecto speculo,"_ she said, her voice resonating through the water due to the charm she had placed earlier. A little mirror appeared at the end of her wand and she moved it into place over the point.

It was like a dam bursting. The wall of the cube disappeared, and she ended up ass or head as the water burst forward. She tumbled with the water and was sprawled out onto the now sopping grass. Desperately she coughed and tried to gulp down air, taking deep gasping breathes as she lay back on the sopping wet grass.

It took her a minute to get her breath back, but finally, she had opened her eyes and was looking up at the sky. That had been much too close for comfort. She had nearly drowned twice in this competition and that was twice too many.

* * *

The entire crowd had been holding their breath while Harriet had been looking for a way out of the cube.

As one they released a sigh when she came sprawling out onto the grass.

Bagman gave a nervous chuckle. "Well that was a close one folks," he said shaking his head. "Not sure how she managed to break the trap, but however unorthodox it seems to have worked and Harriet made it through. That obstacle did take at least five minutes though so let's hope she doesn't run into one of those again."

If anyone was looking closely, they would have seen Snape grinding his teeth, as he watched Harriet exercise that particular skill. He had been stumped as too how she could have broken his sensory spells on his door frame, but he had never thought of magical reflection. It was simple but effective, and a very muggle thing to come up with. If it was anyone else, he would have admired the imaginative solution. But as is was Potter, really all he could think was… that… CHEEKY BLOODY BRAT! EXACTLY LIKE HER FATHER! AND PRACTICALLY BRAGGING ABOUT IT TOO! AS SHE USES IT ON THE VIDEUS SCREEN FOR THE WORLD TO SEE!

Snape noticed Dumbledore shot him an amused look. He just glowered at the meddling old man. If anything that just made the old codger more amused.

"Oh and look at Miss Delacour! Oh no, look out behind you!" Bagman redirected the attention of the crowd.

The crowd watched as an acromantula crept over the hedge behind Fleur. They gasped as she was knocked down when it sprung on her. Fleur barely managed to get out from under the spider and was trying to get away.

She put up a good fight with the beast, and she made a break for it, as she managed to fend it off. She turned a corner with the spider on her heels and found herself in a dead end. She turned to face the spider and began a second assault of spells. The spider was overwhelmed, and Fleur tried to make a break past the creature.

In an unlucky turn of events, the hedge seemed to reach out and snag her robes as she went past and because of her momentum she was stopped and jerked into the side of the hedge. There was the acromantula's thick, sticky webbing woven within the hedge itself and fleur became stuck in the mess. The more she struggled the more she became entwined.

Fleur was stuck.

The giant spider was approaching, and the crowd could see the poor girl panicking. She desperately tried to fight it off with any an impressive barrage of spells, but the creatures resilient hide let it hunker down and scuttle forward slowly.

Fleur realized she was good and caught so lifted her wand and fired red sparks into the air.

Like magic, Hagrid appeared. He grabbed the beast around the neck with his large arms and hauled it back like he was wrestling an eight-legged crocodile. The scuffle only lasted a minute as the giant spider was no match for Hagrid's raw strength. The spider scuttled off and Mr. Holly appeared. He waved his wand while Hagrid worked on freeing Fleur. Then Fleur's portion of the screen disappeared.

"Oh, that's so unfortunate! A dead end and then getting snagged on the hedge like that. Horrible luck really!" Bagman called. The Beuxbaton student's and many of the Hogwarts boys were upset. Most of France groaned as well at Fleurs terrible luck.

But there was nothing to be done and Fleur was brought back to the medi tent in the main area.

And now, there was only three.

* * *

W hen Harriet finally managed to get up, she was cold and wet.

There was still evening light, but the coolness of the evening was upon them. She quickly cast a warming charm and a drying charm on herself, which took away most of the chill and wetness but still left her damp. Especially her under clothes.

She picked up her crossbow, which had survived the water experience, and moved forward again into the maze.

She had not got far when Cedric came stumbling out of one of the paths off to the right. His robes were singed.

"Just got caught by a blast-ended skrewt!" he explained.

Then was off down another path. Deciding not to linger with the skrewt she kept going forward.

She wasn't lucky, however, because the skrewt came flying over the hedge a moment later. Harriet barely got out of the way of the giant flying insect before it landed on top of her. As the creature hit the ground it fired off its tail with a loud bang and a burst of flame. She was fortunately not in the direct path of the flame, but her legs were. Her outer robe caught fire despite how damp the clothing was. Harriet was now trying to deal with her robe on fire and the skrewt turning its pincered mouth on her. She scrambled back and ripped off her outer robe, throwing it to the side. Then cast an _impedimenta_ as the skrewt reared back. She hit its armored head, which had no effect on the skrewt and seemed to bounce off. This allowed the skrewt to lunge.

She brought her arm up to protect herself and screamed as one of the pincers sunk into her left arm on her bicep. She instinctively brought her wand up and pointed it at the skrewt's underbelly, and at point black range she fired a stunner.

" _Stupefy!"_

The underbelly was not armored, and the withering insect creature froze as stupefy hit it.

She rolled the giant bug off her and stood up quickly. She was going to get out of here quick.

She pointed her wand at her still burning robe, a stream of water shot out and put out the fire. She grabbed her now smoldering robe and the crossbow, which she had dropped as she dived out of the way, and quickly left the area.

When she was a far enough distance away, she stopped and assessed the damage.

Her upper arm was cut, but the skrewt hadn't got her too bad, she had definitely had worse. However, she was bleeding and she didn't want to be dripping blood everywhere for the beasties to smell her. She wouldn't put it past the skrewt to follow her seeking retribution.

She laid her burnt robe down on the ground and saw that only the bottom half was singed. She cut off the sleeves with a careful _diffindo_ then cut it lengthwise, so she had two strips. The left sleeve of her black, long-sleeved T-shirt was ruined so she cut it off at the shoulder.

With a quick _aguamenti_ , she cleaned her black sleeve and her own arm. A drying charm later and she was wrapping the soft black material around her arm like gauze. She then took the sturdier strips of robe material and tied up the black material tight to her arm and over her shoulder.

Impromptu first aid, check.

Time to keep going.

* * *

"Oh, that was one nasty blast ended skrewt! Harriet, unfortunately, had a nasty bite on her left arm, but the girl is resilient. She is wrapping up her arm now and it looks like she is still in the running." Bagman shouted with excitement.

"Ugh, why Hagrid? Why skrewts?" yelled Ron, knowing first hand the pain of those creatures.

"Merlin, they got massive, didn't they?" Hermione said looking a little white.

Ron could only nod. The rest of the school looked a bit white.

* * *

H arriet moved forward. The next couple of corridors were clear. She crept up to the next corner and peeked around, before whipping her head back. She stood wide-eyed for a moment with her back to the hedge. She definitely recognized the next obstacle, she was actually on a first name basis with the creature.

"Fluffy," she whispered.

* * *

T he Videus charm showed Harriet standing looking frightened and backed up against the hedge. It did not show what she had seen to make her back away, so most of the crowd watching her was assuming the worst. Then surprisingly she whispered one word, 'Fluffy.'

While most were confused, most of the Professors and a couple of students recognized the word.

"She didn't say Fluffy did she?" Ron asked with wide eyes.

"You don't think it's that Fluffy, do you?" Hermione asked nervously. The Gryffindors near them looked to Ron and Hermione.

"Who's Fluffy?" Parvati asked.

"Oh Merlin," Ron said. "That's Fluffy," he said while pointing at the screen where a large monster dog was shown.

* * *

Harriet peeked again. In the middle of a circular clearing within the maze, she saw the large, black furred, three-headed canine laying down. On the other side of it, there was the most direct path.

The large three-headed dog was now sniffing the air, no doubt sensing her about. One of the heads started growling and that set off the other two.

Despite the ferocity, however, Harriet thought she could deal with Fluffy. And if she could get past the three-headed dog she was sure she would be closer to the center of the maze.

Putting down her crossbow, she concentrated hard on what she wanted. Like the time down by the lakeside, she was successful in transfiguring the crossbow into a guitar. But, again like the time at the lake, it wasn't perfect and an arrowhead stuck out of the bottom of the guitar. She could work with it though.

As a last thought, she raised her wand again to her throat and cast a sonorous. Against better judgment, she stashed her wand in the holster and picked up the guitar. She quickly focused on an easy tune and began strumming.

She started on _Yesterday._ Another old classic courtesy of listening to her aunt's records drift through the cupboard door on the long days she was trapped away. She let the tune go for a bit. She listened hard for sounds from Fluffy. As she played, the growling slowed then stopped. She mustered her courage then turned the corner

Fluffy was thankfully sitting. All three heads were cocked, and the six ears were perked forward. His eyes were on her though and he didn't look sleepy. She swallowed and decided to go all in. She hoped that Fluffy liked the Beatles.

She lifted her voice in song and made her tone as soothing as possible.

It seemed to work, as Fluffy laid down and rested its large heads on its paws. It kept its eyes on her, but she continued to sing and strum. She swayed to the rhythm and kept her voice soft. Slowly the three sets of eyes started to drift close, first the left head, then the right, and finally, the middle head.

Harriet decided to be bold and started to walk forward. Keeping her song going, she slowly and cautiously moved past the dog.

Fluffy just began to snore. She had actually got him to sleep!

It was with no small amount of pride that she reached the opposite side of the space that Fluffy occupied. She kept strumming as she slowly backed away from the large dog. She slowed the tune until she could duck around the next turn in the path. She only stopped playing when she was out of Fluffy sight.

She had done it! She allowed herself a smile and decided that she wasn't going to be needing a guitar anymore, so she leaned the object against the hedge. She canceled the sonorous charm on her voice and stood straighter and turned in the direction she needed to go.

For the first time since this competition began, she felt the stirring of a competitive spirit. She could do this! She may even be able to win.

* * *

"Oh Bravo! Bravo!" Bagman clapped loudly. "How she knew to do that, I have no idea, but what a treat! Show within a show! I wonder if she wrote that song…"

Hermione smacked her face. Leave it to wizards to not know who the Beatles were. (1)

Everyone was clapping.

Hagrid, who had brought Fleur back to the medic tent, was just grinning wildly. He knew exactly how Harriet knew how to tame Fluffy. Nothing like personal experience.

"Oh, but look there, Krum is caught in a trap! Oh, he didn't see it and fell in," Bagman yelled while turning his attention to a different part of the screen.

Hermione gasped as she saw Krum fall into a pit. It was like Harriet's trap, except this one started to fill with sand. Krum tried to climb the walls but found the sides extremely smooth. He made his way through the sand to the rune riddle in the middle. Unfortunately, it became obvious that the translation was proving difficult for Krum. He struggled through the translation that the crowd gained a glimpse due to the Videus charm's angle.

"Oh, that's really tricky! It a multilayered problem!" Hermione whispered to the Weasley's who all gave her blank looks.

Apparently, Krum found it too difficult, because he wasn't able to solve it and the pit filled too quick with sand.

In a last-ditch attempt, Krum transfigured the steele into a grappling hook and conjured some rope. He threw the hook hard and then tugged. It seemed steady so he started to pull himself out of the heavy sand and up. The climbing was difficult as the sand was raining down from the top. But Kurm persevered and was pulling himself out of the pit.

Unfortunately, the grappling hook must have come undone from whatever it was hooked on, because the rope went slack, and Krum fell backward into the sand. He started to be buried as he hit the sand and began sinking fast. Unable to get purchase, he sunk deeper and deeper. At the last second, he raised his arm and fired red sparks into the air before all of Krum disappeared.

McGonagall and Mr. Holly appeared quickly and some quick wand waves from McGonagall freed Krum from the sand. McGonagall rubbed his back as Krum took desperate gasps of air and Mr. Holly waved his wand. Soon Krum's screen went black and then the screen adjusted

Now the screens only showed Cedric and Harriet. It was a Hogwarts battle for the cup.

"Oh, that was terribly unlucky! I really thought he was getting out of there with the rope. I cannot believe the rope gave," Bagman sighed.

And now there were only two.

* * *

Harriet turned a corner and immediately felt a dark chill settle upon her that she recognized well.

There was a large dementor floating towards her, its hood black and its scabby, decaying hand reaching out.

Harriet didn't miss a beat.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ A large stag erupted from her wand. The impressive animal had large antlers with many points, the body stood as tall as Harriet and the head was held high in pride. Immediately Harriet felt calmer.

She flicked her wand and the massive stag threw its head and stamped its hoof. It lowered its massive head and charged forward towards the horrid creature.

The dementor, however, fell back from the charging patronus. Harriet cocked her head.

"Oh! I know what you are… you're no dementor." She flicked her wand and her patronus returned to her to stand behind her. "You're a boggart! _Riddikulus!"_

Harriet watched as the black hood of the boggart dementor fell away to reveal a thirteen-year-old Malfoy on stilts looking embarrassed and pouting. It was the same image from the third year quidditch final, where Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had tried to sabotage her.

Remembering the memory and seeing the image of a pouty Malfoy in front of her prompted the result she needed. Harriet let a loud laugh, and the Malfoy wannabe disappeared with a 'poof.' She then turned to her patronus who was radiating its warmth and support behind her. They looked at one another for a moment then it dipped its massive head and disappeared. But she felt her heart swell and her confidence was bolstered.

* * *

Malfoy was hiding his head in his hands as the rest of the school laughed. Of course, she would use that against a boggart. Zabini was shaking in mirth beside him, the bloody wanker. Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinsons, however, were grinding their teeth.

"Oh dear, an inside joke, I fear. Though it was an impressive patronus." Bagman chortled happily as the rest of Hogwarts laughed.

"Oh, and look at Diggory, he is taking on a red cap!"

* * *

Harriet tried to move forward as quickly as possible. It was getting darker and she felt that that was a good indication that she was getting close to the center.

She turned a corner and was heading down an alley when she froze. She had just heard someone speak;

" _Sssomeone issss here brothersss."_

She strained her ears listening. There was a quiet rustling that she couldn't pinpoint.

" _I hear you! Come out whatever you are!"_ Harriet spoke.

* * *

The crowd froze as they heard Harriet speak. Except she wasn't speaking, she was hissing. A lot of the school had heard of the dueling club incident, but only second years had heard her speak Parseltongue. It was a bit of a shock to the system to anyone who was watching to hear such an unsettling sound from her mouth. Of course, she had been outed as a parselmouth earlier in the day in Rita Skeeter's article, but it was still a surprise.

It was more of a surprise though when a huge three-headed snake came sliding over the edge of the hedge. This thing was massive, around thirty feet long. It was a deep orange colour with a pattern of black diamonds on it's back, and pale moon like eyes. Its heads were the size of an armchair, its body was thick as the body of a hippo, and its mouth as wide as Harriet was tall.

Many in the audience screamed at the sight of this large snake slithering to a stop in front of Harriet. Harriet just appeared frozen, and then it began to hiss to her.

* * *

" _Greetingsss little one, it hasss been many moonssss ssssince we met a ssspeaker," t_ he snake on the left hissed.

" _Well, I don't think that we ssshhhould sssstart today. Ssshhhall we jussst eat her?"_ The snake on the right spoke.

" _Ssscamander sssaid no eating. Only ssstopping,"_ the one on the left said. (2)

" _Ssstupid! You do ssstupid thingsss,"_ the one on the right said in a pouty voice.

" _We mussst not eat it, I would like to meet thisss one,"_ the one in the middle said. He wasn't as far forward as the others and seemed to be swaying and not quite looking at her.

Harriet's head swiveled between the three snakes. She did not have a great history with overly large snakes, but these ones seemed alright, well at least the middle and left head. She recognized what kind of snake it was as well. It was a Runespoor, but it was massive, she didn't even know it could get that big. If legend was correct the one on the left was the planner and decision maker, the one in the middle was the dreamer and saw visions, and the one on the right was the critic. She mustered her courage and hoped that these ones would be like the snake at the zoo. The python had been polite.

" _Hello, I'm Harriet."_ She said to the snake, now recognizing that she was speaking Parseltongue.

" _Oh, it'sss a Hairy it!"_ the one on the left said.

" _That'ssss a bad name,"_ the one on the right spoke.

" _We are Frank, Franky, and Franklin,"_ middle head said.

Harriet just gave her best 'you gotta be kidding me' look. What kind of names were those for a giant Runespoor! That was worse than Fluffy.

" _Well it'sss nissse to meet you, but I need to passsss, sssso would that be alright,"_ she asked the snake. Waving her arm in front of her to indicate where she wanted to go.

" _No, you may not, that'sss a bad plan,"_ said right snake.

" _No, you may not, but it'sss actually a good plan becaussssse the middle of the maze issss behind ussss,"_ left snake said.

" _What if I ssssay pleassssse?"_ She asked.

" _No,"_ right and left hissed together.

" _Oh well then, I guesss I have to find another way,"_ she said. She wasn't about to try and take on the massive snake. Really it was just much too big. She turned to leave but was stopped when the snake in the middle spoke.

" _I have a gift for you."_

 _"You do?"_ said left snake.

" _You don't give me giftsss! But you are probably a bad gift giver anyway,"_ said right snake.

Harriet just blinked. What could a snake have for her?

" _Um… what is it?"_ Harriet asked.

" _I have visionsss, I sssee pathsss, the future, sssometimesss connectionsss. You ssstir my blood little ssspeaker. You have a great dessstiny. I ssshhhall give you a glimpssse,"_ middle head said.

" _That isss a ssstupid gift! Told you that you're a bad gift giver," r_ ight head said. Harriet couldn't agree more with Frank the right head.

" _That ssssoundsss like a prophesssy. I don't really like prophesssiesss."_ Harriet said giving the middle snake a hard look.

What was it with people trying to tell her the future? First, it was Frienze in the forest in first year, then it was Trewlany in third year, and now a great bloody snake wanted to take a crack at it.

" _You mussst acsssept it, it'sss your dessstiny," m_ iddle snake coaxed.

" _No way, I do not want another prophessssy, either let me passs, or I am leaving,"_ Harriet said. She took a step back and made to turn.

* * *

Everyone in the crowd was silent as they watched the exchange. It would have been terrifying but Harriet was only wearing a mild look of annoyance. She was obviously trying to get past the snake but it didn't seem to be budging. Harriet also wasn't in a stance that was particularly defensive so the snake didn't seem to mean her harm.

Hagrid himself was very intrigued, loving the idea of being able to communicate with animals, especially one as big as the runespoor. Likewise, Hermione was curious about the exchange.

Dumbledore himself was happy enough for the exchange to take place again more intrigued than disturbed. However, not everyone was okay with it happening.

"Dumbledore! You must stop this! How can you let this go on, Parselmouths are evil!" Fudge yelled.

"Cornelius, Parselmouths are not evil, Salazar Slytherin himself was a parselmouth and did great things for wizardkind. You are only taking Voldemort as an example and applying it to Harriet. Besides it more likely that she is asking if she can pass. She doesn't want to attack the snake if she doesn't have to, so I think taking the path of least resistance is smart." Dumbledore said with reproach.

Fudge just spluttered.

People in the crowd muttered at this. It did make sense in a way and while strange it wasn't like it was hurting anyone. Most of Hogwarts knew that the reason that Harriet was able to save Ginny Weasley in second year was because she could open the Chamber of Secrets.

Harriet had turned to walk away, but then the snake in the middle hissed something at her and she turned back.

* * *

" _If you lisssten, then we will let you passs,"_ middle head spoke. This seemed like news to the other heads.

" _We are meant to ssstop, not let passs,"_ said left.

" _That is a bad deal! Do you even know how to haggle?"_ said right.

" _We will let you passs if you lisssten. The cup isss closse,"_ said middle head.

Harriet debated internally. On one hand, she detested prophecies, there was reason Harriet dropped Trewlanies class. On the other hand, she really wanted to get out of this bloody maze and finish this Tournament. There was also a small competitive part of her that really wanted to win.

" _Fine. I will lisssten. But then you will let me passs,"_ she said giving the snake her best McGonagall glare.

" _Yessss,"_ the middle head said, then his head slowly came forward towards her. " _I will need your blood. Prick your finger on my fang, jussst one drop will sssufissse."_

Harriet's eyes widened, " _you never mentioned blood. You aren't jussst going to eat my whole arm, will you?"_

 _"No, jusssst a drop,"_ then the middle head was right above her. It opened its jaws wide and its large fangs became unsheathed. The glistening ivory spikes just in front of her. But instead of moving forward the snake stood still and waited for her. She was seriously out of her mind if she was actually going to do this. Maybe she was a bit too Gryffindor.

She knew from magical creature books that only the right head of a Runespoor had venom. But she was still scared of the long fang. Slowly she inched forward and reached out her left hand. Closer and closer she got to the yawning mouth and her throat went dry.

Slowly she reached her hand forward and got close to the fang. Her finger reached the fang and she pressed the tip of her finger against the point. There was a sharp sting in the finger, and she watched blood well around the point.

Quickly she withdrew her hand and backed up a few steps. The snake stayed in the same position, and she watched her drop of blood balance on the point. The snake's eyes moon eyes clouded over and turned a foggy white, like a crystal ball. From the fang, a venom seemed to well. The cloudy venom mixed with her drop of blood making the drop larger. It welled until the gravity took its toll.

The drop fell and hit the ground.

As it hit the grass it seemed to expand like a smoke. The smoke grew and expanded, swirling in strange patterns.

The snake itself closed its mouth and backed off, but not without parting words.

" _Good luck, Harriet Potter, for you will need it."_

Then the snake led the other heads over the hedge from where they came from. But Harriet was distracted by the swirling white smoke that was growing in front of her.

It grew up and took on a form. It took her a moment to see that it was becoming the smokey outline of women. The woman was tall and slim, she was wearing a simple dress and her smokey hair fell down in stunning waves to her waist. The woman was beautiful but colourless, like looking at a black and white photo with smokey edges. Her skin was the white smoke that seemed to flawlessly seam with the simple white dress. The only other colour was the midnight hair. Because she was so lovely, it took Harriet a moment to understand what she was looking at. But when the smoke woman opened her eyes, Harriet saw the bright burning green.

It was her, but older, the ideal version. Healthy, beautiful and scar free. Her face, however, was frighteningly sad.

As Harriet observed the ghost she noted two things. One that her ghost self was holding a smoky sphere. The grey smoke seemed to swirl in the crystal ball like structure. And the second was the smoke arm was also chained. Heavy dark grey manacle encircled the wrist and the chain attached to the ground at the ghost woman's feet.

There was an instance when there was no movement and the image and Harriet seemed to appraise each other.

Finally, the ghost woman raised her arm. Holding the crystal ball out to Harriet like she should take it, like it was hers.

But her arm was only outstretched for a moment, as an invisible force then pulled the chain and her ghostly arm was pulled down. The crystal ball dropped and disappeared as it hit the ground. The smoke Harriet was jerked down to the side.

The other ghost arm was then tugged harshly as well, violently lurching the women to the opposite side. As soon as the tugging had started her smoke self had started to pull in the opposite directions. Trying to fight the tugging that was dragging her down, resisting with all her might. She was straining with everything she had against the heavy manacles as they bit into her wrist, but it was impossible to break free. Then her ghost self was pulled down hard on both chains and she collapsed to her knees. Her ghost self continued to squirm and fight against the bonds. The face of her counterpart become anguished and desperate.

Harriet herself watched in horror as the chains started to snake around her smoke self and bind her body tighter. There were tears on the ghost's face, her mouth was open and was silently screaming, but the chains continued to pull down. They pulled until the woman was flattened in an awkward kneeling position like she was praying, but it was too strained.

Harriet couldn't help herself as she stepped forward to help, but as soon as she did the woman disappeared.

The smoke dispersed like someone blew out a candle, but after a moment, the smoke seemed to reform. It swirled again, this time becoming darker until it was a cloud of heavy black smoke. It separated into different parts, and from the parts, eight smokey black figures began to form. Eight tall men in black cloaks formed a semicircle around her. They were identical and their faces pointed down.

She stood still for a moment within the ring of these men, her senses on high alert. Then, as one, they moved.

All eight of them looked directly at her, and she could see eight sets of glowing red eyes. They glowed from within the depths of the hood so the face was obscured, but she recognized those eyes.

She yelped and stepped back, and that seemed all they needed for they as well lost their form, like a gust of wind, had blown them away.

For a third time, the smoked seemed to swirl, changing from black to grey. It came together and grew up higher than anytime before, becoming a thin, tall spire. The smoke took on the vague shape of a man, and Harriet began to recognize him. It was the grey man.

As the form took shape, Harriet felt like she had cotton stuffed in her ears, outside noise became muted and all she could hear was her own breathing and pounding heart.

It was one thing to see it drawn, but another to experience it. The grey cloak, made of some swirling material clung around the head, neck, and shoulders of the man. The rest of it undulated unnaturally like there were things squirming around behind the cloak. The cloak itself was almost sheer like she could just see things beneath it but just out of reach. Then there was the noise that seemed to emanate from the man. Not from his mouth but from the man itself. Like the things under the cloak that were whispering to her.

The man's neck was too long, and its head was too thin. Like he had been stretched. The face lacked distinguishing features, but she could just make out the bulge of a nose. There were also the eyes.

The hollow white points where his eyes should be seemed to focus on her and the long strange body bent over so that he towered over her.

From his midsection, definitely not where it should have been anatomically, thin, long fingers, attached to a thin palm, and long wrist began to emerge. The fingers she noticed had an extra joint, making them abnormal. The skin was black in a necrotic way, and the skeletal and claw-like appearance gave the hand a sinister look. The hand was reaching for her and there was nothing that she could do to stop the thing from coming towards her.

The strange hand turned before her, reaching closer to cradle her face in its palm and through the long fingers, she could still see the creature watching her. Her heart pounded like it never had before and her breaths were coming out in strangled gasps. There was a roaring in her ears, and she there were no thoughts in her head, only her vision of the grey man.

Then the middle finger of the hand came close and she shut her eyes. She felt the touch of the grey man more in her mind than on her skin. Like he was reaching past her outer barriers. Then there was a flash of light that seared behind her pupils and her body fell as her mind scrambled for a moment.

There was a moment where she was out of body, then she came back to herself. She had collapsed onto her hand and knees, and when she looked up the smoke was gone. There was an image burned into her retina though, when she closed her eyes it appeared on the back of her eyelids. A strange symbol of a triangle, a line, and a circle.

She blinked a few times to clear the image. While also trying to calm her erratic heart rate. Finally, she looked up again. Her stomach was turning, and her hands were shaking. She wished desperately that Ron, Hermione, and Sirius were here to pick her up. She didn't know what that prophecy meant, but she had never felt more alone than in this moment in the quiet, dark maze.

Slowly she got to her feet and looked forward. She took one more calming breath and began to move onward again.

* * *

The spectator area was quiet. Bagman was speechless and there wasn't any cheering to be heard.

It had been strange to watch Harriet have a conversation with a large snake, but Harriet hadn't raised her wand at all, so it was apparently a civil conversation.

The crowd did panic when the middle snake came forward and had opened its large jaws. There was a general outcry when Harriet had stepped towards the creature then reached her hand into its mouth. She was then touching the fang, and the Videus charm had given a close up of her finger against the fang. The crowd saw the welling blood be joined by the venom, and then the drop fell.

The crowd had not been prepared for the strange smoke images and most were confused. Confusion turned to dread however when the grey man appeared. Ron and Hermione recognized the being from Harriet's drawing, but seeing it in person was a whole other story. The air had become heavy and the silence was deafening as the thing appeared. Hermione, Ron, and the crowd had wanted to scream at Harriet to run, but their voices had seemed choked.

Then it reached for her, and Harriet began to hyperventilate. She seemed unable to move. Its long finger touched her forehead. There had been a flash of light, then just the image of Harriet on all fours had been seen.

After the incident, Harriet had obviously been shaken. She had looked frightened as she had looked around. Harriet never looked frightened and it had worried her friends. Shakily she had stood up. She took a deep breath and started to move forward again.

The whole encounter with the snake could not have taken more than five minutes, but it felt much longer on the Weasley's and Hermione's poor nerves.

The only one who did not appear anxious was Dumbledore. He would have to contemplate the event as it was certainly interesting, but he knew that it was just another clue in the mystery, not a threat.

"W-well that was something wasn't it," Bagman said with a shakily. "Um… let's turn our attention to Diggory. Oh, and look there, he is taking on a Cockatrice!"

The crowd turned their attention to cheering for Cedric. The Cockatrice was lunging, and he was countering perfectly. He managed to distract the cockatrice and made a move to go by, unfortunately, a root caught his foot.

"Oh, no! That's unfortunate, Diggory trips and the Cockatrice is on him again. Oh, and look that vine is actually devil's snare, how in the world did that get there? Oh, that's a nasty wound."

While Cedric was doing a good job fending off the cockatrice, it got a claw into his leg and got a good scratch. Fortunately, the devil's snare tried to wrap around the cockatrice as well, so the cockatrice was forced to back up. But it was a bit too late for Cedric as he was well and truly caught by the Devils Snare. It wrapped tighter covering his body and trapping his hands. Cedric tried to conjure fire but couldn't do the wand movement without a free hand. The only thing he could do was a simple flare of red sparks.

Flitwick appeared with Mr. Holly. Flames came out of the Professor's wand as he pointed it at the Devil's snare. Vines released Cedric and Flitwick turned to the cockatrice to scare it off.

Mr. Holly came over then and waved his wand. Soon the screen that held Cedric went black.

Hufflepuff and many others were groaning as their champion went down for the count.

"How unlucky! It was tripping on that vine, that did it I believe for the older Hogwarts champion. It really came out of nowhere! But isn't this something folk's only the youngest champion is left!"

Gryffindor let up in a cheer.

"So long as she can get to the cup, then she will be champion. If not, then all the champions are again let loose into the maze."

Kurm and Fleur who were watching from the medi tent, and being tended to by Madam Pomfrey, both blanched. They had had enough of dangerous mazes for the day.

"But Harriet is exceptionally close. By going past the Cerberus and the Runespoor she has put herself in the most direct path of the cup. Oh, and look now! She has come upon a sphinx."

And now there was one.

* * *

(1) Inspired by the new movie trailer Yesterday. Thought the idea of not knowing the Beatles was hilarious.

(2) Newt Scamander has two runespoors in his briefcase. One is much more massive than the regular seven feet long. It is my imagining that Dumbledore asked Newt if he had a magical creature to contribute to the tournament. And newt volunteered his Runespoor.

Thanks, everyone for sticking with the story and leaving me nice comments. I know it may be a little controversial to leave Cedric alive but I'm sticking to my guns. Hope it doesn't turn too many of you off the story.


	21. The Rising

Hermione like everyone else in attendance listened to the riddle from the Sphinx, that Harriet was facing.

 _"First think of the person who lives in disguise,_

 _Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies._

 _Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,_

 _The middle of middle and end of the end?_

 _And finally, give me the sound often heard_

 _During the search for a hard-to-find word._

 _Now string them together, and answer me this,_

 _Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"_

There was a flurry in the Ravenclaw section as many started to whisper to each other.

Hermione was already thinking through the riddle and she was one of the first to say, "AH HA!"

"Figured it out, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"Yep! Come on Harry you can do this, it a spider!" Hermione said.

* * *

Harriet was carefully thinking through the riddle that the Sphinx had given her. She was talking it out to herself trying to decide on the answer. No doubt Hermione was screaming at her from the stands. She kind of hoped that the crowd hadn't seen the incident with the Runespoor, but she knew that was a naive hope.

"Um… a person that lives in disguise… that's a traitor… no more like… a spy!... that not my answer…. Now the last thing to mend? The middle of middle and end of end?... um … Er… I think I come back to that… okay, a sound during the search for a hard to find word… er…um…er.. Er… ER! So Um or Er…. Okay, spy-um…spy-er…spy-er… middle of middle and end of end! A spider! The creature you would least like to kiss is a spider!"

Ths sphinx smiled at her benignly and stood up to move out of her path. Yes!

She quickly moved past the Sphinx and followed the turn of the hedge up ahead. And there it was! Gleaming in the dim light was the cup! She ran forward and nearly missed the huge body that came launching at her from above.

The acromantula jumped at her and she just barely stopped and jumped backward in time. The spider was turning to face her, and she scurried back a few more steps only to hit the hedge and get stuck.

Her right arm was trapped in the web that coated the hedges. She tried to pull but the web was incredibly sticky.

Nothing for it. A quick diffindo and she was down another sleeve.

Her wardrobe malfunctions were not her biggest issue at the moment, as she needed to get to the underside of the spider. That was where they were weakest. She had known this since she had looked up acromantula's in second year, after a very unsettling encounter with a spider named Aragog.

" _Incarserous!"_ she aimed for the spider's legs on the left side. Two of the legs became wrapped in thick rope and the spider who was trying to make its way towards her stumbled. The spider then struggled to get the ropes off and fell to the left leaving the path to the right open.

She ran forward and tried to dodge the giant spider, but it was not too be. The spider had regained its balance despite two of its legs being caught. It lunged at her and swung a leg to try and catch her. She did the only thing she could think off and hit the deck.

She rolled then and as the legs came down towards her until she had rolled all the way over onto her back in the middle of the path.

She was pretty much in the worst position because her head was directly under the spider's pincers.

But fortunately, her wand was still in her hand and pointed directly at the spider's belly.

"STUPEFY, STUPEFY, STUPEFY!" She screamed panicked.

It seemed to work cause the spider gave a strange clicky cry and scuttled to the side before it fell off her. She rolled out of the way of any falling legs and stood up ready to fight, but it was unnecessary. Thankfully, the stunners had worked.

She turned quickly, happy to get away from the spider and was momentarily stunned when she ended up in a circular space that was the center of the maze. And there in the middle was the cup.

She blinked at the cup a couple of times in disbelief, she had done it! She had actually won! She felt a smile start to spread over her face. Butterflies filled her stomach in her excitement. She was going to win and go back to a party, then sleep for the next three days. She would give Hermione and Ron the biggest hugs in the world for helping her through this. But most importantly, she had been able to survive this crazy freaking tournament.

Her hand reached forward and grasped the handle.

* * *

Hogwarts was cheering as Harriet had come into the center of the maze. The judges, except Karkaroff, and all the visitors were clapping hard, Bagman most of all. The other champions were also giving Harriet a standing ovation. She had done very well.

Gryffindor, however, were in absolute raptures. They screamed hard and stamped their feet. McGonagall was waving her hat around and crying. The Weasley boys and Hermione were jumping, while Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes.

They watched her walk forward and grab the cup.

Then the strangest thing happened. It was like the screen was going through a wormhole where all there was to see was ribbons of colour.

When it came back into focus, the crowd watched as Harriet fell forward and dropped the cup while she went sprawling. It bounced away from her. And Harriet, now on her hands and knees, shook her head.

The crowd who had been cheering all quieted down as they realized that it wasn't over.

Well almost everyone quieted down.

"NO!" Dumbledore surged to his feet, his immense presence attracting the looks of many as he yelled.

Dumbledore's eyes were wide as he observed the scene. That was when people began to think that something was off.

Harriet was standing up now. Rubbing her cut arm where she had her makeshift bandage. She was looking around in confusion and the crowd could now see her surroundings.

She was in a graveyard. The tombstones were all large and marble. The ornate statues were eery and stood tall. The graves stretched out over the field until they hit the edge where large yews rose from the ground.

There was still a bit of light left, but the sun had set and the evening cast shadows making the graveyard dark and foreboding.

Harriet was now slowly looking around; her eyes were focussed, and the bright green was startling for those that were unused to Harriet's penetrating gaze. For those who knew her, they would be able to tell you that this was the look she got in tense situations. Harriet could sense something was off.

They were distracted from watching Harriet by Dumbledore who sent off a white phoenix patronus, then turned to the crowd.

"Prefects!" his booming voice rang out via sonorous charm. "Please gather your houses and—"

But he was interrupted by the voice of Harriet on the screen, magically amplified so that everyone could hear her.

"Who's there?"

* * *

Amelia Bones was very much enjoying watching this tournament. For those who were on evening duty in the Aurors office or working late in the Department of Magical Law enforcement, she had allowed them an hour off to watch the special event. Part of this was because she also wanted to see the tournament herself. And it wasn't like the other offices were not doing the same thing.

It had not disappointed so far. The competition was fierce, and the competitors were incredible for such young witches and wizards. Amelia Bone's would never admit it, but she had a soft spot for the youngest competitor since seeing her spectacularly outfly a dragon.

The girl had done incredibly. She had defeated the golem, broken out of that cube, taken on that skrewt, soothed a Cerberus, and don't get Amelia started on that patronus. What an exceptional piece of magic.

Maybe she should start an early Auror program.

While the snake event had been strange, it had been exciting as well, then the clever little thing had got past the sphinx's riddle. The acromantula had been handled and finally, she had appeared in front of the cup.

"YEAH HARRIET! WOO HOO!" Tonks, a particularly loud and brash Auror yelled from her spot in front of the screen. According to Tonks, she was Miss Potter's biggest fan. She was dancing around as Harriet reached for the cup and Amelia allowed herself to clap along with her cheering Aurors and coworkers.

But the fun came to an end as Harriet ended up in a different place. At first, everyone thought that there was one final test, but that changed as a stunning phoenix patronus came flying through the wall to land in front of her. Everyone froze at the odd occurrence until Dumbledores voice erupted out of the phoenixes beak.

"MADAM BONES, IF YOU ARE WATCHING THE TOURNAMENT, THIS IS NOT PART OF IT. HARRIET HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED, IF YOU KNOW THIS PLACE, PLEASE SEND FULL CONTINGENT IMMEDIATELY. IF NOT PLEASE DO WHAT YOU CAN TO FIND IT!"

Bless her Aurors, they jumped right into action trying to find this location.

* * *

Back in the spectator's area, everyone watched as Harriet had spun on her heel, with her wand in her hand and pointing to some shadows.

Slowly a cloaked figure emerged, walking forward in measured steps. The hood was up obscuring the face, and the figure seemed to be carrying a bundle of fabric.

"I said, who are you?" Harriet demanded her eyes narrowed and cautious.

The bundle of fabric shifted. Then almost everyone watched in confusion as Harriet clutched her chest and let out a startled gasp that changed into a strangled scream. Those who knew the sign, like Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore, dread began to settle in their stomachs. Hermione even let out a short scream.

" _Expelliarmus,"_ the cloaked man said, and Harriet's wand flew from her distracted grasp and into the cloaked man's hand.

Harriet tried to turn to run, but the man flicked his wand and Harriet tripped, landing hard on the ground.

A spell seemed to grab Harriet around the left ankle, it started to pull her along the ground following behind the man who walked in the opposite direction from whence he emerged. Harriet was screaming as she flipped on her stomach and tried desperately to grab purchase on the grass. The camera showed Harriet screaming face as she frantically clawed at the ground, towards the screen trying to stop being dragged. It was moot as she got roughly dragged behind her captor to what looked to be a clearing between the stones.

The crowd let out a gasp as Harriet managed to gain purchase on a tombstone and held fast as the spell pulled hard on her leg. Harriet's face screwed up in pain, but she held on.

"Hang on Harriet!" Hermione yelled. Everyone was at the edge of their seat looking on in horror.

Harriet in screen opened her eyes and they widened in fear. The reason became clear as the Vidues angle changed, and they saw that a large snake, eight feet long with black scales, had approached where Harriet was desperately clinging to the stone. The snake reared to strike. The crowd screamed. Harriet, let go of the stone and rolled on to her back.

She had escaped the snake's snapping jaws, but she was now free to be dragged into the clearing.

Taking up the most attention in the clearing was a huge black cauldron. It was bubbling on top of a large fire, that cast flickering shadows around the clearing and onto the surrounding tombstones. The only other thing of interest was the bundle of fabric that had been placed off the side by the cloaked man as he pulled Harriet.

Harriet was dragged past the squirming bundle and screamed in pain. She was pulled to the far side beneath a large tombstone, where a marble angel, cast in dark shadows, stood on a short rectangular sarcophagus. The angel's arms were spread in benevolence, palms forward and reaching to embrace the souls that lived below heaven.

The tomb read _Tom Riddle._

Harriet was grabbed by the figure, but he obviously wasn't expecting her to fight, cause her leg came up and connected hard with her captor's face. The man howled and his hood fell off.

Most in the wizarding world gasped as the face they had not seen in thirteen years was revealed.

Ron and Hermione started to yell profanities at the man.

Sirius growled harshly at the screen, eyes wild, livid and afraid for his goddaughter.

Remus felt his stomach drop.

Unfortunately, Harriet had not kicked hard enough as the man just reached down to grab her again. There was a struggle where Harriet clawed, punched, and kicked, while Pettigrew tried to gain control. Harriet was screaming at Peter, her words resonating around the silent spectators.

"PETTIGREW YOU FILTHY RAT! LET ME GO, LET ME GO! IS THIS HOW YOU REPAY ME? YOU BETRAYED MY PARENTS! YOU BETRAYED REMUS! YOU FRAMED SIRIUS! I GAVE YOU MERCY! YOU –"

There was a sharp crack as Peter backhanded Harriet hard across the face. Hermione screamed and Ron flinched violently.

The rest of the crowd let out a cry, and Dumbledore closed his eyes.

* * *

Most of the Aurors froze at the face fo Peter Pettigrew. Every person in the office had read Sirius Black's case profile. They had all seen the picture of the man who had tried to avenge his friends the Potters. The man who was blasted to bits, with only a finger found. The man who was awarded a posthumous Order of Merlin's first class for his bravery. The man who was apparently not so dead at all.

Here he was now, very much alive on the screen, if not looking a bit worse for wear, with a single finger missing.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" yelled Tonks!

"LEAVE IT FOR NOW! PRIORITY IS FINDING THIS GRAVEYARD!" Amelia's voice rang out.

* * *

Unfortunately, Pettigrew was a fully-grown man, who put all his strength behind the slap and the crowd got a view of Harriet's disoriented face as he hauled her up and pressed her back against the angel. Ropes sprang forth. Her torso was fastened to the angels front, her wrists were tied to the arms, and her legs were strapped around the base of the angel's robes. She was mimicking the angels pose and the stone wings seemed like they were coming out of Harriet herself.

Then a voice interrupted that froze the blood of everyone watching.

"Hurry Wormtail."

The voice was high, sibilant and cold. It came from the squirming bundle. There were a few in the crowd that recognized the voice. Karkaroff hissed his eyes widening in fear. Dumbledore grimaced.

Although Snape had been expecting something, it still came as a shock to hear that voice again. His blood ran cold and his skin paled. Then an old fear stirred. That voice had always been associated with great fear, but more than fear was a dark, burning hatred for the man that owned that voice. The man that had taken Lily's life. The man that now had her daughter, the last vestige of Lily, trapped. It was almost too much to bear and Snape did not know if he could watch what would happen next, but he must and he would pray for a miracle.

Pettigrew hurried over and grabbed the bundle. Then he brought it to the simmering cauldron, the surface of the potion looked like it was crusted with diamonds. The crowd shrieked as the form within the fabric was revealed. It was slimy and ugly and raw. It was dark red and crusted and scaley. But its face was snake-like with gleaming red eyes. Then it was dropped into the cauldron.

The Videus charm paned back to Harriets face as she looked at the cauldron.

"Please, Merlin, let it drown, let _him_ drown," came Harriets choked whisper. Her face was anxious and pained.

But the charm went back to Pettigrew, who lifted his wand towards Harriet. It came as a bit of a surprise when, instead of cursing Harriet, the stone tomb cracked at her feet.

"Bone of the father, unwillingly given, you will renew your son," Peter spoke with a shake in his voice.

Fine dust started to rise from within the tomb. It flowed like a strange ribbon towards the cauldron then sprinkled into the potion. The potion hissed, sending sparks into the air, and became a poisonous vivid blue.

Pettigrew whimpered harder and pulled from his back a long silver dagger.

"Flesh of the servant, w-willingly g-given – you w-will revive your m-master," he stretched out his right hand with the missing finger and with his left he sliced down. Most people shut their eyes, but the horrible screech that followed was more difficult to block out.

"DUMBLEDORE! DUMBLEDORE DO SOMETHING!" Fudge was frantically waving his arms and bouncing next to Dumbledore.

"I cannot. I do not know where they are. I have sent word to Amelia and I hope to hear from her if she finds anything. But I cannot find them. Now silence," Dumbledore spoke gravely, while his eyes analyzed everything around the graveyard looking for any clues as to where they were.

The whole crowd heard, and Mrs. Weasley and McGonagall collapsed back in their chairs. Mrs. Weasley started to sob.

"MR. HOLLY STOP THE BROADCAST. STOP IT THIS INSTANT!" Fudge yelled turning to the stunned man near the medi tent.

"I-I can't. I can't stop it till she is here or loses…consciousness." Mr. Holly squeaked.

Pettigrew had dropped the hand into the cauldron and the potion turned bright red.

"Even if you could, I would not let you," Dumbledore said with conviction.

"WHAT!" Fudge yelled

They were distracted from an argument when Pettigrew turned to Harriet attached to the stone. He walked towards her with the knife drawn. Harriet began to squirm in earnest, with a panicked look on her face. The crowd got loud as he advanced, cries of 'oh no!' 'Harriet!' 'Merlin!' 'help her!"

Pettigrew was right in front of her, then the knife, that was magically clean of Pettigrew's blood, was placed on Harriets exposed left forearm. Harriet screamed as the knife pierced her flesh in a short line, and blood began to flow from the wound.

"B-blood from the enemy, f-forcefully taken, you will r-resurrect your foe."

A vial was placed under the dripping line of blood. When the small vial had been filled a quarter of the way, Pettigrew turned and carried it over to the cauldron. He tipped the red liquid in.

The cauldron became a blinding white with sparks shooting off in every direction, Pettigrew backed away and collapsed holding his bleeding stump.

The potion then changed to a velvety blackness and the fire beneath went out. White mist rose up from the cauldron and spilled over the sides. It was thick and obscured the ground from view, making the tombstones look like the floated-on clouds.

Then the worst-case scenario occurred.

The charm focused on Harriet and the crowd saw her eyes widen in fear. It turned back to the cauldron and everyone saw a long, pale arm reach up from within the giant pot. Long, pale, spider fingers gripped the edge and pulled. Slowly a skeletal figure rose. His head was bald, his spine was prominent, and finely corded muscle seemed to move in a peristaltic way under the taut skin. Finally, the man was standing in the cauldron. Within the spectator area, there was a complete and oppressive silence where everyone could only stare at the horrific sight.

Then he lifted his hands. Everyone watched as the man turned his hands back and forth admiring the appendages. Then he brought his hands to his head and spread his fingers wide, as he ran his hands from front to back while taken in a deep hissing breath. He then let out the breath with an 'ahh.'

"Robes Wormtail," the voice from the man, like a freezing blast of winter wind, made the entire crowd jump.

Everyone watched as the crying Pettigrew grabbed the black fabric, that the horrible fetus-like thing had used, and brought it over to the man.

The man took the robe and slipped it over his head.

"Wand," he stated as he held out his pale hand.

Pettigrew shakily held out the wand, while bowing his head. The pale finger plucked the instrument from his hands.

The man held it reverently and stroked it with the other hand. There was a long moment where he just held the wand. Then he waved it, Pettigrew was launched backward and crumpled off the side. The wand waved again and the cauldron the man was still standing in disappeared.

Then he cocked his head to the side like he had heard something. And perhaps he had done because Harriet was breathing harshly behind him. Slowly his body turned, and he faced Harriet.

The crowd saw a horrible snake-like face. The nose was two slits, the lips were stretched and thin, and the eyes were a bright red with slits as pupils.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and steepled his fingers.

Hermione gave a choked sob

Ron buried his head in his hands.

Mrs. Weasley cried.

Amelia Bones sat down hard on a chair behind her.

Sirius howled.

And the rest of the world yelled out in horror.

Voldemort had risen again.


	22. Games and Stories

**Hey, thanks for the reviews and support. For those who are wondering why Dumbledore doesn't know where the Graveyard is, well it's more important for my story that he doesn't and I'm sorry if this isn't in canon. I am imagining that when Harry came back from the Graveyard, Dumbledore only then got his first clue to find the whereabouts of Voldemorts father and then later discover the witch within the area. From these clues, he can track down memories and** **Horcruxes. So, I am pretending Dumbledore doesn't know of Voldemort's lineage before this clue came to light, he only knew what Voldemort would brag about as a young student. Voldemort also murdered his muggle father so I believe he would have kept the Riddles a secret from Dumbledore at all cost when he was young. Voldemort plays many things close to the chest.**

 **Sorry if that doesn't make sense.**

* * *

For a long moment, there was silence in the clearing. Only broken by the soft sobs of Wormtail.

"Harriet Potter, how lovely of you to join us," Voldemort hissed. He turned completely and regarded her. His face was straight from her nightmares. The sunken cheeks and the sharp angles. There was not a single piece of hair on his face and where his eyebrows would have been was a heavy prominence, like the scaly bump that reptile had around their own eyes. The most startling feature, or lack thereof, was his nose, which had been removed completely and now was replaced by slits for nostrils. His lips were thin and as he spoke, she could see the tip of sharp incisors in his mouth.

Harriet swallowed hard, her mouth feeling dry. This face had been in her nightmares for the last three years, and now here they were face to face. Her breath felt weak in her throat.

"I-I think… I think that I didn't have much of a choice in the matter… you put my name in the goblet, didn't you?" Harriet asked quietly.

Harriet felt her heart breaking. She had fallen into the trap, and now she was going to die. She would never see her friends again, or Sirius, or Hogwarts, her home. Damn it, she had tried so hard, she hadn't wanted to play his game and then she was the most effective pawn.

Voldemort laughed in his high voice. And stepped even closer coming to stand before her.

"Of course, I did," he laughed again. "Who else could do this right under the crooked nose of Dumbledore." He spat the name Dumbledore like it was a bad taste in his mouth.

"And it wasn't so that I would be killed in this tournament, it was so that I would get here," she said feeling a horrid mix of fear and anger.

Voldemort seemed darkly amused. "A spy was placed to help you along, to make sure you got here, yes. But make no mistake… you will die," his face came close then, he seemed to be relishing in her fear, and like it was a decadent bouquet, he brought his face close for a whiff. His eyelids dropped and his the slits of his nostrils flared. Harriet leaned her head back, fear and revulsion plain on her face. He kept her there for a moment, uncomfortable and afraid.

"But not yet," he backed off then, still regarding her. Harriet breathed again.

"Who did you place in Hogwarts?" she asked. She wanted to save her friends, what if he was still there? But there was also another reason. If the Videus charm was still on her, then maybe she could play for time. Maybe they could find her and help her.

"Ah, ah, ah, Harriet, I see what you are doing. That... insatiable curiosity is going to get you into trouble one day . . . like right now for instance." His evil face twisted into a smirk as if he thought up something truly evil and malicious.

"As punishment for your rude questions, we are going to play a game," Voldemort said while smiling in a way that bared his fangs and churned Harriet's stomach.

"My servant informs me that you have desperately and furtively been running around the castle trying to find out who put your name in the cup. Why don't you take a guess? If you get it right, I'll give Gryffindor ten points, but if you get it wrong… I'll take a finger, we will only use your left hand through so you only get five guesses"

Harriet felt her stomach drop and her face pale.

"Well? Go on now Harriet, take a guess…" he said like a crocodile talking to its lunch.

Harriets mind raced, she had struggled hard with the mystery all year long, how was she meant to come up with an answer? She resolutely closed her mouth and tried to glare at Voldemort to show she wouldn't play his sick game, but she was so fucking frightened that it probably was pathetic.

"Oh, that won't do. You must answer Harriet . . . _crucio!"_

Pain like Harriet had never felt. It singed every fiber of her being. It was knives in her gut, fire on her skin, acid in her chest. She couldn't hear, she couldn't see, she could only feel an all-consuming pain.

It felt like a million years before it stopped. She fell forward against the binds, her breath coming out in gasps, and she tried desperately to orient herself through the dizzying effect of the spell. She heard Voldemort speak again and focused on his words.

"Now that wasn't pleasant was it Harriet? Poor thing. Answer, or it will happen again."

Harriet was reeling and wanted to vomit, her brain was only focused on the pain, and she felt tears prick her eyes.

" _Crucio!"_ Again the pain was unbearable. She was left gasping and wretching against her binds.

"Quickly now Harriet you have five seconds, who put your name in the cup? Five…four…three…two…"

"BARTY CROUCH JUNIOR!" Harriet had yelled it out. It was the only person her brain would come up with, even though it was a stupid guess. Barty Crouch Jr was dead. But in her desperation, she had latched on to it. She had remembered the night she stole the gillyweed, she remembered Crouch Senior trying to talk about his son when she had found him in the forest. Yesterday, she had decided that Crouch Sr and Crouch Jr were her only suspects. They were the only ones she could think of.

Oh, Merlin, she was about to lose a finger.

There was a moment of ringing silence around the clearing. Then Voldemort actually started to laugh.

"Ten points to Gryffindor!" He told her with a manic look in his eye, his face snarling. Hope fluttered in her chest, she had got it right?

"Well, well, well. That is certainly a surprise Harriet. You are more resourceful than I gave you credit for," He said silkily. "Now for bonus points, how did he get by Dumbledore?"

Harriet licked her lips. She did know the answer to this, because of overhearing Snape and McGonagall. At least she hoped she was right.

"P-polyjuice. There were missing lacewing flies and boomslang skin from the private stores," Harriet croaked.

"AHAHAHA, right again, my dear!" He was enjoying his little torture game and had sick amusement in seeing her struggle. He was like a child who burned ants with a magnifying glass, glorifying in his ability to kill with ease.

"Now final question Harriet, who is he disguised as?" Voldemort smiled at her again reminding her even more of a crocodile.

She wondered why he was playing this game? If he didn't want his spy discovered why was he doing this?

She came to realize that he didn't care about his faithful servant and wanted to see her suffer more than see his servant free. He wanted to brag about his accomplishments.

Well, it wasn't like it mattered much because Harriet didn't know. She swallowed again hard. There was a long moment of silence then –

" _Crucio!"_

Pain, pain, pain. Indescribable pain that twisted her body wildly against her bonds.

It felt like an age when it finally stopped.

"I grow impatient Harriet, answer the question, you must play the game." He crooned to her, silky soft like he wanted to put her at ease when instead he had just tortured her.

She rallied some deep strength then scanned her memories. Who had helped her? It changed the perspective of the year.

First, it had been Hagrid who gave her a hint. Then Moody gave her an idea to get past the dragons. Hermione had been invaluable. Ron had helped her learn spells and research archives. Malfoy had helped calm her a few times. Bagman had offered on multiple occasions to help her. Dumbledore said that he was doing everything he could to keep her safe. Lupin had given her the idea for the second clue. The twins had helped in her nighttime escapades. Neville had given her the idea for gillyweed. Myrtle had given her directions. Dobby helped her hide items. Krum had helped her with Crouch that day, but he had been attacked. And McGonagall and Flitwick had let her use a classroom to practice and gave her some advice on learning spells.

She could eliminate most: Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Hagrid, Dobby, the twins, McGonagall and Flitwick. Oh, and Myrtle, ghost don't have hair.

That left Malfoy, Moody, Krum, and Bagman.

She didn't think that it was Malfoy or Krum though. Krum hadn't helped her until she had forced him and been attacked for his trouble. Malfoy had taken an unbreakable vow for her, and although he had changed a bit this year, she didn't suspect him.

Bagman definitely could be the perpetrator. He had easy access to her throughout the year.

But her mind fixed again on something she had seen happen many times over this year. Moody reaching for his hip flask. It was unlikely because Dumbledore trusted him, but she had to try. Her entire being revolted at the thought of another crucio.

"Madeye Moody," she said choked out and gave him a glare.

Voldemort's only response was to laugh again.

* * *

Back in the spectator area, everyone watched in complete revulsion as Harriet was tortured and forced to play a sick game. Her screams reverberated through the air and her body twisted madly against the rope that held her. Her hair tie had fallen out in her flailing and now her hair whipped wildly back and forth as she squirmed.

Hermione was sobbing with Ginny and Mrs. Weasley and Ron was shaking violently while trying to block out her screams. The twins had turned their faces turned away and were desperately clutching one another. Bill had a white-knuckle grip on the guard rail in front of him and his face screwed up in misery.

A similar look to Dumbledore, who had his hands clamped tightly together in front of him and his eyes screwed tight against the sounds.

Malfoy felt like he was going to be sick, as he watched her thrash against her bonds. He felt his world tilt and turn on its head. He wanted to save her. To find her and take her away from that monster, but he was so powerless. He was less than a muggle in this instant and he couldn't breathe.

When Voldemort stopped she was suspended in her bonds, her limp hair falling down around her face.

"I grow impatient Harriet, answer the question, you must play the game," Voldemort said softly to her, but every sound was amplified in the spectator area. And the sound seemed to slither down everyone spine raising the hairs at the back of everyone's neck.

There was another moment of silence. Then Harriet spoke, "Madeye Moody."

* * *

There was a beat as every eye in the place turned to the Professor who was hidden off in the shadows. He had his wand drawn and was aiming at Dumbledore. Then Voldemort laughed, providing all the confirmation that Dumbledore needed.

Moody shot a killing curse at Dumbledore's head, but Dumbledore reacted like lightning.

The judges' table shot up and forward into the path of the curse. And the table exploded. Karkaroff, Madam Maxine, Bagman, and Fudge all dived off the side.

But Dumbledore did not stop, and his immense aura filled the area. He slashed his wand, and everyone watched wide-eyed as an invisible hand, like a giant, snatched the unsuspecting Moody and hoisted him up. The hand seemed to squeeze the fake Moody and the mans eye bugged out and his body twisted in the air. Then he was dropped from ten feet and landed hard on his peg leg and fell over. In a flash of Dumbledore's wand, he was disarmed and bound in ropes. Dumbledore regarded the man and then flashed his wand again. Another patronus flew out of the wand and off to who knows where.

Dumbledore then walked forward still swinging his wand and a small vial wiggled itself out of a pocket in Snape's robes. Snape did not try to stop the vial from escaping. Dumbledore caught the vial in his left hand and continued forward until he was standing in front of the fake Moody who was lying on the grass.

He conjured a hard-back chair and levitated the fake Moody into it.

"Cornelius, I will be using Veritaserum to try and discover Harriet's location," he said in a way that broke no argument.

Dumbledore without another word then forced three drops into the mouth of the fake Madeye Moody.

"What is your name?" Dumbledore asked.

"Bartimus Crouch Junior."

"Are you a spy for Voldemort?"

"Yes."

"Where are Harriet and Voldemort right now?"

"A graveyard." He said.

"What town?"

"I do not know. I was never taken there. I stole the cup from Bagman last night. The man had gone down to the pub for the night so it was easy. I left the grounds via a secret passage and apparated to the house he was hiding. I gave him the cup and he placed the portkey on the cup. Then I volunteered to place the cup in the maze without touching it."

Dumbledore glared

"Where has he been hiding this past year?"

"A house, it was boarded up. I do not know where it is. He never told me, he said it was safer that way."

"Where is the real Alastor Moody?"

"In a trunk in my office. I needed him close. I needed his hair. I had to act as Moody for the year. My master had to rise again, he needs to clear this world of filth," It was disconcerting to hear such a statement come from his mouth in such a monotonous way.

"Where is your father?" Dumbledore demanded.

"I killed him, transfigured him into a bone and buried him in the forbidden forest. It felt good."

Dumbledore looked frustrated and disgusted as he looked down on the psychopath.

"There are many more questions to ask, but now is not the time. _Stupefy,"_

He cast a stunning curse at Moody, then he again cast his white bird. He turned his attention back to the screen, praying for a miracle.

* * *

The entire office had been focused intently on the conversation between Harriet and Voldemort. Harriet was proving herself to be wickedly resourceful as she played the game right. She was stalling.

Amelia was desperate to help the young girl, even if she had to meet Voldemort face to face herself.

A large white bird had flown in after the revelation of Barty Crouch Jr was responsible and disguised as Madeye Moody.

"Apprehended Crouch Jr, will be using Veritaserum to discern location." Dumbledore's voice rang out. Technically that was illegal, but frankly, she didn't give a fucking damn.

The office went still, everyone had heard, and everyone gripped their wands. Immediately after Voldemort had risen, there had been a rush of Aurors into the office. It was an emergency and all hands were on deck.

They waited in tense anticipation for a word from Dumbledore. Tonks was bouncing on her toes, Kingsley's eyes were burning, many of the older Aurors were twitching. They remembered the first war against Voldemort. The continued conversation of Voldemort with Harriet was the only sound. She took note of every word but the conversation did shift to Parselmouth so she was not able to understand what was said. Harriet's face was disgusted and livid so they obviously weren't having a chat about the weather. She was more focused on waiting for Dumbledore.

Finally, Dumbledore's patronus flew in again, but it did not come with good news.

"Crouch does not know the location. Voldemort was careful. Real moody at Hogwarts, he is alive. Crouch Sr dead. Must find another way to find Harriet."

"NO DAMN IT!" Amelia's fist connected to a desk she was standing next to, then turned her eyes to the screen again. Harriet was going to need a miracle.

* * *

"Oh, very good Harriet! Yes, you did very well. You may keep your fingers as your prize." Voldemort smiled like a maniac.

He came closer to her again and Harriet swallowed back the bile in her throat at the proximity. Her scar burned red hot.

She heard him shift into Parseltongue and this time recognized the hissing quality.

" _Sssuch a clever girl, I have watched you during thisss tournament. Sssuch a powerful little witch… ssso young… ssso beautiful_ … _a parssselmouth_ " he hissed in his oily voice that brought forth the image of a cobra ready to strike. He reached out slowly and smoothly with one of his unnaturally long-fingered hands, spinning it as if he wished to pet her cheek with the back of his fingers. She shuddered in horror, bile rising higher and turned her face away from the man. But he didn't touch her.

" _Even your half-blood ssstatusss could be forgiven, due to the powerful pure blood of your father'sss ssside. It will be such a wassste_ …." He sighed in mocking regret.

" _I gave you a choissse Harriet. Do remember in front of the mirror. I could have fulfilled your dreamsss and brought back your loving parentsss. You could have joined me, I could have made you great, but you rejected my offer so harshhhly_ ," his voice was soft, but his red eyes were like coals and smoldered in their fury.

Harriet was scared out of her mind, she was in so much pain, and she wanted to be sick. But there in her short life there were a few things that she was certain of, and she felt the wash of anger at his words.

She turned her face back towards him and met his eyes, a foot of space between them.

"You offer nothing but lies _,"_ she snarled into his face, pouring her hate into the sentence. She snarled her response and let her eyes burn into his. In this belief, she would not be cowed. There was a long pause.

"Ahhh, I see Dumbledore has trained you well," Voldemort said, switching back to English and taking a step back. "You have placed such trust in him, and yet, where is he? I know about that tricky little Videus charm and I have no doubt that we are being watched. But where is your protector Harriet? Where are your friends? Where is your precious Godfather? Where is the rest of the wizarding world? You are their savior and yet here you are… alone." He asked, throwing the words at her like knives. She didn't have an answer.

"They have abandoned you. Like they abandoned you with your relatives they abandoned you here. The truth is that they do not dare meet me, Harriet. Dumbledore fears me, fears my power and will not risk his own wrinkly neck, even to save his favorite student. This is the power of love Harriet… this is what you get… to die alone and a fool." He hissed at her.

"Now let me show you the power of respect." He smiled, then flicked his wand. Wormtail who was slumped closer to where the cauldron used to be and who was holding his stump and sobbing pathetically came flying over. He crashed into the headstone at Harriet's feet, where the snake was still circling. Wormtail's robes were soaked and gleaming with blood in the weak evening light.

The sobbing man scrambled into a kneeling position at Voldemort's feet.

"Please…p-please my lord… you-you promised."

"Your arm Wormtail," Voldemort said as he looked down at the pathetic form of Pettigrew. He gazed down at the man like he truly believed that that is where people belonged, begging at his feet.

"My L-Lord. Th-thank you…" he held out his bloody stump, but Voldemort just laughed.

"Your other arm," he hissed.

Wormtail sobbed and held out his left arm.

Voldemort reached forward and grabbed the arm. He then yanked back the sleeve and revealed a tattoo. She had seen the sign before. Once, hanging over the forest at the quidditch world cup. A black skull with a snake coming from his mouth.

Voldemort seemed to contemplate for a moment before he spoke softly.

"It seems I must be selective."

Then he pressed his wand to the tattoo and the tattoo turned a dark red. Wormtail let out a shriek of pain.

* * *

Dumbledore very subtly turned his eyes to the stands and to where the judge's table had been. He looked at Karkaroff who looked panicked but confused. He was not clutching his arm.

He then looked at Snape. Snape was looking at him. Snape was white, but he subtly shook his head. Voldemort was not calling Snape or Karkaroff. Even the fake Madeye Moody wasn't writhing in pain. Selective indeed.

* * *

Then Voldemort spoke again.

"Now they have seen it," he said, "… now we shall see Harriet… now we shall know." He had a look of immense satisfaction on his face. "Who will be brave enough to come… and who will be foolish enough to stay away."

He began to pace in front of Harriet and Wormtail with his red eyes surveying the surrounding Graveyard.

Then he turned back to Harriet.

"You stand on the grave of my late father." He told her with his cruel smirk.

"He was a disgusting muggle… very much like your dear mother. But look, he had his uses in his death, did he not? Like your mother had her uses for you when she died." He laughed then as if recalling the memory of slaughtering her mother was particularly amusing.

"My mother fell in love with him, my mother whose blood was the purest of pure. But he left her when she told him what she was… he detested Magic. And now look at what happened to you Harriet, like my mother you were detested by your relatives and treated cruelly, and the simple act of being magical. My mother died giving birth to me… and like you, I was abandoned in a place that I was unwanted… a muggle orphanage… How similar we are Harriet, fate is funny, is it not? But I revenged myself upon my father… the disgusting, filthy, ignorant muggle."

He continued pacing but slower this time. "Family history… I am growing sentimental… Ah, but look, my true family arrives."

From the shadow's figures cloaked in black and wearing masks began to glide forward. They emerged from the between the yew trees like ghosts.

They came forward and looked in awe at Voldemort now standing in the descending dark with Harriet and Pettigrew behind him.

One by one they dropped to their knees and approached him. They kissed his hem whispering variations of 'master' and 'my lord.'

To Harriet, it was absolutely sickening.

Then they stood up and formed a circle in around Voldemort. Voldemort slowly circled his wand and the surrounding tombstones caught on fire, like large candles. The circle was illuminated dimly as night had now fallen. Harriet thought that the flickering shadows were actually worse.

"Welcome my Death Eaters… it has been many years… thirteen long years. And now here you are… again in front of me like it was yesterday. Still united in our cause under the Dark Mark… Or are we?"

The Death Eaters seemed to squirm. He cocked his head and his slit nostrils flared.

"I smell guilt."

Another shiver through the circle.

"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact - such prompt appearances! and I ask myself...why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?"

Everyone was frozen and the only movement was Wormtail sobbing quietly and the great snake. Even Harriet was still, though being bound was a large part of the issue.

"And I answer myself," whispered Voldemort. "They must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment ..." his hissing voice was one of fake consolidation.

"And then I ask, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living?"

"And I answer, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort...perhaps they now pay allegiance to another...perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore?" Again, the name Dumbledore was spat out like a curse.

"It is a disappointment to me...I confess myself disappointed..."

One of the men suddenly flung himself forward, breaking the circle. Trembling from head to foot, he collapsed at Voldemort's feet.

"Master!" he shrieked, "Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!"

Voldemort began to laugh. He raised his wand.

" _Crucio_!" The man shrieked desperately and twitched on the ground.

Harriet was surveying the group of Death Eaters. She was trying to garner identities but she could not see faces, and Voldemort wasn't saying names.

"Get up," said Voldemort softly. "Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years...I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?"

He looked down at Wormtail, who continued to sob.

"You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Master," moaned Wormtail. "Please. Master...please..."

"Yet you helped return me to my body," said Voldemort coolly, watching Wormtail sob on the ground. "Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me...and Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers..."

Voldemort raised his wand again and whirled it through the air. A streak of what looked like molten silver hung shining in the wand's wake. Momentarily shapeless, it writhed and then formed itself into a gleaming replica of a human hand, bright as moonlight, which soared downward and fixed itself upon Wormtail's bleeding wrist.

Wormtail's sobbing stopped abruptly. His breathing harsh and ragged, he raised his head and stared in disbelief at the silver hand, now attached seamlessly to his arm, as though he were wearing a dazzling glove. He flexed the shining fingers, then, trembling, picked up a small twig on the ground and crushed it into powder.

"My Lord," he whispered. "Master...it is beautiful...thank you...thank you..."

He scrambled forward on his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes.

"May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail," said Voldemort.

"No, my Lord...never, my Lord..."

Wormtail stood up and took his place in the circle, staring at his powerful new hand, his face still shining with tears.

Voldemort now walked around the circle again, meeting the eyes of his followers, like a king surveying his possessions.

He stopped at some of the gaps in the circle.

"We are missing some people. Entombed in Azkaban. They will be rewarded of course." Voldemort said. But he continued surveying.

"Though some, I worry, are lost to me forever," he said with false sadness in his voice. "They will be punished."

He came to a stop again. Then a brave Death Eater stood forward.

"Master, please, we beg of you to tell us how this is possible. We saw the resurrection, in all its glory, but how?" the Death Eater bowed.

Harriet had jerked her gaze over to the Death Eater that spoke. She recognized that voice, but from where?

"Ah, a very good story, and one that begins and ends with my young friend here," he said while walking back over to Harriet.

The Death Eaters all turned their gaze to Harriet then, and Harriet saw that the Death Eater who spoke before was meeting her eyes. And she recognized the eyes through the mask. Grey eyes, eyes she had seen before, eyes she had even stared into her own not too long ago. Except these eyes were different, these eyes stared at her in hate.

She knew in her bones it was Lucius Malfoy.

But Voldemort still had the stage.

"As you all know, I went to the Potters on Halloween thirteen years ago to kill the blood traitors. They were hidden away, and it was thanks to my loyal servant Wormtail that I was able to accomplish it. I killed the Potters, but here I must admit my short fallings."

He said in a mocking tone that implied he didn't actually believe that he had any shortcomings.

"I failed to anticipate the mudblood women's move. She had taken old magic and warped it and defiled it to suit her purpose so that she could protect her child. It is the way with all mudbloods is it not? They take pure magic and do not understand it, then disregard the tradition." He said in disgust.

"Regardless, she did, and it was at the expense of her life. But it worked to a point because my curse rebounded upon me." Here he paused. "Pain my friends, pain beyond imagining was what I experienced that night. I was ripped from my body. But my friends, I have taken precautions, I have gone beyond what anyone has dared to do before. I cannot die… but I was less… just spirit and without power… but I was alive. And I thought to myself, not too worry, one of my loyal followers will find me. So, I hid and waited. But the years passed, and I came to realize that my followers had forgotten me," the crowd was shifting again.

"Finally, a rather idiotic wizard stumbled upon me. A man by the name of Quirrell. He was a teacher at Hogwarts, and I was able to possess him. The weak-minded fool believed I would grant him powers and he let me in. Then I learned from him that he knew about an item called the philosopher stone. I was too late to get it from Gringotts, but I knew it was being hidden in Hogwarts," he looked around at the rapt audience he had.

"But again, my friends I was thwarted." He looked over at Harriet. "By such a young girl. You see now, I had lost my power in such magnitude, that I couldn't even overcome a tiny eleven-year-old girl. The protection given to her by her mother protected her still. I could not touch her, and when she grasped Quirrell, her touch burned. She turned Quirrell to ash just with her hands. The pain again was too immense, I fled without the stone and weaker than I had ever been."

"Again, I waited in hiding, hoping that a servant would come when they heard of what happened at Hogwarts. But it was in vain, for another two years passed. Then finally, someone found me. Wormtail, you see, has an affinity with rats. He was able to communicate with them and found where I was hidden. He had just escaped Hogwarts himself. He had faked his own death years ago and had been hiding from his once friends for many years. He came with news of the outside world."

"While in general, he is useless, he did manage to bring me someone of interest. A ministry witch with knowledge of three very important pieces of information. She knew about and had helped plan the Triwizard Tournament. She knew that ex-Auror Moody was to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. And finally, she knew the whereabouts of one of my most loyal subjects, a man that everyone thought was dead, Barty Crouch Junior." He smiled in that satisfied way.

"And then my friends I planned. I needed my power back and I needed to overcome the pesky curse in the blood of Harriet Potter. So, I sent my subject to Hogwarts after overcoming Alastor Moody. He performed spectacularly and managed to put Potter's name into the cup. A tournament she would be forced to compete in till the end. He was to help her at every opportunity. Fortunately, like a fish to water Harriet took to the competition magnificently. Tonight, she made it to the cup first and my trap sprung." He was now walking back towards her, and Harriet's breath started to come out faster. Her heart was pounding. There was a climax coming and Harriet could not see a way in which she survived. She was tied and helpless.

"I used her blood you see. I have it now running through my veins." He said and then he lifted his wand. He flicked it at her. She shut her eyes anticipating pain. But the pain was not immense.

He had sent a very controlled cutting curse at her, But it did not slice her skin. The purpose became clear in a moment when her shirt opened. The cut went from collar at her throat, along her clavicle, to the end of her torn off sleeve. The front piece of her shirt and the strap of her simple sports bra fell forward and the back slipped behind her shoulder. Fortunately, it did not fall far. She now looked like she was wearing a one-shouldered black tank top, if the tank top was dirty and tattered. His purpose was obviously to expose her scar. The lighting bolt looked was like a glowing red brand on her pale skin. It was stark, angry and painful.

"And now that I have it running through my veins," he was in front of her now. She squirmed again against her restraints.

"Well, now I can touch her."

He reached forward and pressed one of his pale fingers against the top of her scar.

Holy shit it hurt. Harriet whole body was on fire and it was concentrated on her scar. She screamed loud and desperately, throwing her head to trying and get away. Voldemort didn't seem to care that she was screaming in his face. He traced his finger along the lightning shape, and she felt her throat crack with her screams, tears leaking from her eyes.

Finally, he removed his finger and she wanted to collapse, breathing heavy.

"Now you see the genius of my plan. I was able to overcome a very powerful curse that would have proven a weakness in the future. I was able to use it to regain my own body. I used the very thing that took my immense powers to bring them back. And now I stand before you STRONGER THAN EVER!" He roared out the last part of the sentence with his arms spread wide. And the Death Eaters around him all kneeled.

There was a ringing silence.

"And do I hide my victory? No, I do not." He had dropped his arm. "I know about the Videus Charm and now I do not just address you, my loyal friends, I address the world."

He turned to face her again. "The time of hiding is over. You see hiding is the way of the cowardly. All the wizards and witches of the Ministry know is how to hide. They hide creatures of immense strength like the giants and the werewolves, they hide the goblins, they hide themselves. And why?" He asked rhetorically.

"They say it's for our protection and the muggle's protection. And maybe some believe that that is true. But the truth is not that simple. As perverse as it is, the real reason is that they fear muggles," a hiss went up in the surrounding crowd.

"The muggles have multiplied exponentially in the last two hundred years. They have advanced their technology. They have large weapons now. They are dangerous… And the Ministries response to this fear is to hide. They suppress and they cower, and they allow the integration of muggleborns as a way to stay buried. But this is not the natural way…" Another pregnant pause.

"The natural way is for there to be a natural order. The big fish always eats the small one. Wizards are strong, we have immense power, the very fabric of reality bends to our will. The muggles must be taught to respect this power, they must be taught their place... And the strongest of these wizards is where blood flows the purest. Purebloods will ALWAYS be stronger than Muggleborns."

"I myself come from the purest family of wizards on my mothers' side. And now look at my immense power. Imagine if I had been born to a pureblood wizard. I shiver in pleasure to imagine it. But still, I have been able to rise as the most powerful wizard that has ever lived," again he paused.

Harriet was struck by his speech. Not because of the message but by the delivery. He was compelling and his audience was rapt. All of a sudden, she could understand it, how he had risen to power.

"And now my friends, we begin the journey again. The journey to take our rightful place on the top of the food chain. The journey to greatness and I shall lead you there. And those who are smart will join us. Those who are wise will aid our cause. And those who believe in the power of magic will stand united with us," he raised his head and looked over his servants with zealous righteousness.

"It will not be easy my friends. Many do not understand our crusade. There are enemies who stand in my path. Dumbledore, the Minister, the Aurors, they will try to keep the status quo, but We. Will. Conquer."

He turned back to Harriet then with an evil gleam in his eye. His face was feral as he spoke his next words.

"They will all be dealt with. But for now, we will begin with the symbol of my enemies. The girl they want to destroy me. An enemy that has caused me innumerable problems by just existing."

He slashed his wand again and Harriet wasn't prepared when he freed her from the ropes. She fell forward off balance and landed on her hands and knees before Voldemort.

She quickly looked up. And he stood over her and smirked evilly. He then turned and walked over to Wormtail and held out his hand. She scrambled to her feet. And then was surprised again when Voldemort threw something at her.

It landed at her feet and she looked down to see her wand.

She looked up Voldemortort who was now standing ten feet from her across the clearing. The Death Eaters had all moved to the side of the space between them. The great snake had slithered over to the side of Voldemort.

"Pick up your wand Harriet. For now, we duel… and the rest of the world can see what they placed their hope in. They can see their great savior stand before my true might."

This was it then. Harriet swallowed hard and with a pounding heart she bent down to pick up the wand. There was a warm pulse as her hand wrapped around the familiar holly. She raised back up and met Voldemorts eyes.

She briefly considered running. But running to where? And she knew that turning her back on Voldemort would mean her death. There was only one option.

She would fight.


	23. The Duel

Everyone was silent as the Videus charm paned to the side and revealed Harriet standing across from Voldemort.

It was a stark contrast. Harriet was bloody and bruised, and seemingly very small in comparison to the man standing opposite her, who was tall, evil, and with an immense presence.

Everyone knew what would happen. There was no doubt that they were going to witness the death of Harriet Potter.

The only one who had any hope was Dumbledore. He knew the value of wands. As soon as Voldemort handed Harriet her wand there was still a chance, and he watched intently as they squared off.

Across Europe, those with a Videus charm watched in silence. The intensity of the matchup had everyone holding their breaths. Families clutched at each other in living rooms. Pubs were still, as no one dared move in the packed establishments. In the Ministry, all workers there for the night froze as the event came to a climax.

"No one will interfere," Voldemort spoke. The Death Eaters stirred, but none of them moved.

"Now Harriet we bow… come now, what will Dumbledore say when you don't mind your manners… bow Harriet, bow to death…" he bent slightly at the waist but kept his eyes on her.

Harriet stood breathing hard and glaring. She didn't bow

"Tut, tut, that is quite rude my dear," He said while glaring evilly. "You will bow! _IMPERIO!"_

Harriet's face went blank.

"Now bow to me Harriet…" said Voldemort mockingly, but Harriet didn't move. The world could see a fight happening behind her green eyes as the Videus charm flashed to her face.

"Be a good girl and bow…" but still she didn't.

"I said BOW!"

Harriet came back to life.

"Never!" Harriet broke free from the curse and snarled. She was breathing heavily like she had run a marathon.

Those watching didn't know whether to cheer or cry at the defiance in Harriet's voice.

There was a moment where Voldemort just observed her.

"Then you must be taught a lesson…" Voldemort said softly.

 _"Crucio!"_ He snarled the unforgivable, snake fangs flashing.

Harriet went down and screamed hard. She was convulsing and twisting in her pain. Her screams became choked as she strained her vocal cords beyond their limit.

Finally, Voldemort stopped. The Death Eaters around the ring all laughed along with Voldemort like this was a particularly fun game.

Harriet was slowly trying to get herself upright. She made it to her hands and knees, while the Death Eaters continued to snicker at her pain.

Then to everyone's immense surprise, Harriet whipped her wand up and shot a spell at Voldemort.

 _Stupefy!"_ Harriet shot a red stunner at Voldemort, whilst scrambling to her feet with more dexterity than most cruciatus victims possessed.

Hermione and Ron jumped up and gave a cry, surprising the silent crowd around them.

Voldemort was also mildly surprised, but he didn't miss a beat as he deflected the stunner.

"Very well Harriet, you wish to play like a grown up? Then so we shall." Voldemort mocked cruelly. " _Discerno,"_ He sent a particularly nasty type of cutting curse at her.

" _Protego,"_ Harriet called. The spell hit her shield and held. But it was like trying to hold back a raging bull and the force made her slide her back a foot.

" _Bombarda!_ " she launched at him.

He stopped it with a chuckle.

He sent another cutting curse at her intending pain but not death. To many people's immense surprise Harriet was ready.

She caught the curse on her wand tip, yelling _defley._ She then redirected it and sent it sailing straight into the laughing face of a Death Eater.

He wasn't expecting it and his mask went flying. Ron and Hermione cheered in triumph as the bleeding face of Walden MacNair was revealed.

"That's for Buckbeak!" Hermione yelled shaking her fist at the screen, tears still streaming from her eyes.

The Vidues charm zoomed in on Harriet's face. Through the blood and the dirt and the growing bruise on her cheek from Pettigrew, her eyes were bright and very focused on Voldemort.

There was a moment of silence on the screen.

"You will pay for that…" Voldemort said, holding up his hand to MacNair, who was looking lividly at Harriet. Voldemort spun his wand and a black wispy cannonball formed. He launched it at her with enormous speed.

"Dodge Harriet!" Dumbledore yelled standing up.

Harriet tried. Unfortunately, it looked like it just nicked her left shoulder. When it hit it concussed, and the blast sent Harriet sprawling to the right. She landed and everyone could see she was gasping for air and in obvious pain. Her left shoulder looked dislocated.

Harriet realized this as well and surprised everyone, save Ron and Hermione, when she pointed her wand at her shoulder and yelled " _Episky."_

With a sickening lurch, her shoulder went back into place, but it looked like a poor job as it still hung a bit loosely. The gasping Harriet stood up again.

Voldemort watched her rising mockingly. He wanted her in pain.

He didn't give her much of a breather, because as soon as she was on her feet, his wand started a complicated motion and electricity sparked at the end.

To everyone's horror, a massive blot of lightning launched from the end of his wand accompanied by a loud crack of thunder.

But shock could not be contained as Harriet again caught the lightning on her wand tip. She had yelled _defley_ again, using one of the more effective, but dangerous, methods to redirect an elemental attack.

Everyone watched as Harriet's wand arm was jerked back from the force of the lightning and her body spun following it. The lighting sparked at the end of her wand and followed her dangerously close to her skin. The crackling white light lighting cocooned around Harriet and her she looked otherworldly as the dark magic wrapped around her in the dark graveyard illuminating her bright eyes.

It seemed even Harriet was surprised she had caught it because she paused for a moment. A mistake, because pausing the momentum of the magic allowed it to backfire slightly. Fortunately, the moment wasn't long enough to completely stop the momentum, but it was enough that the sparking magic burnt through her arm guard and singed her skin around her right wrist. Despite the deep burn she kept going, and with a scream, she continued to spin in a wide arc and released the spell back at Voldemort.

A sharp crack of thunder rent the air as the spell was released and fired back at Voldemort. The lighting exploded outwards and back towards its maker.

Everyone was now on their feet, yelling, and for a fleeting second hoping that it would be enough to kill the monster.

Their hope was crushed as he erected a white shied in front of him and the lighting was deflected up into the air. If he had looked angry before it was nothing on how his face was now twisted in pure hate.

Everyone watched as Harriet dove behind the tomb that she had been tied to, and not a moment too soon as Voldemort launched another magical exploding cannonball at her.

There was silence in the clearing and everyone waited with bated breath.

The Videus charm allowed another close up of Harriet's face. It was one screwed up in intense pain. The skin on her right forearm had been burnt in a strange pattern from the lightning. Her left arm had two cuts on it, one from the skrewt and the other from the knife, it also was held to her side gingerly from the dislocation. Her cheek was bruised from Pettigrew, and her face was bleeding from landing on it when she had been blasted sideways. Her ribs were broken from the way she was holding them. Her scar was burning bright red, and she had been hit with the cruciatus curse multiple times.

She was not doing too well.

The Videus stayed on Harriet's face as Voldemort's voice drifted from the background.

"Come out, come out, Harriet. I tire of games. It is time for this to end. It will be quick… It may even be painless… I wouldn't know… I have never died," his tone was soft but the promise of death was woven in as an undercurrent. This was it.

There was a very tense moment, that could only have lasted ten seconds when the rest of the world watched Harriet drop her head and screw up her eyes. Then she lifted her face and seemed to blow out a breath. There were tears in her eyes, but she grit her teeth hard, and grim determination settled on her face.

Then she shifted and stood, walking out from behind the tomb to face the mad man.

"No, no, no, Harriet! Run Harriet! Please, anything but that!" Hermione cried.

"Harriet! Merlin, run! Oh no, please no!" said Ron.

Many in the crowd were in tears as they watched Harriet stand up to death. It was as moving as it was unsettling, but everyone watched in awe and were unable to turn away from the sight of her face.

Silence again reigned as Voldemort and Harriet faced off again. There was a beat when the world held its breath.

No one stirred. Then –

" _Avada Kedavra!"_

 _"Expelliarmus"_

* * *

The event that followed became a thing of legends. The first witnessed case of _priori incantem_ in one hundred years.

The red and green light met in the middle and connected, the Vidues charm shifted to the side to watch.

The beam of light connecting the wands became gold.

Wind started to swirl out from the center and Harriet and Voldemort were hoisted into the air, the connection maintained. They spun till they were on opposite sides on the clearing and directly in the center. The Death Eaters were panicking below obviously confused as to what was going on, but Voldemort and Harriet settled again on the grass.

From the center of their wands, many golden ribbons shot up and then spread. The ribbons crisscrossed and intersected until both Harriet and Voldemort were encased in a golden dome with the Death Eaters dancing around the outside.

The cries of the Death Eaters were muffled. But still, Voldemort yelled "Do nothing! She is mine!"

Then an unearthly song began to play from the golden light. It was hauntingly beautiful, and it filled the crowd with hope. It was the song of the Phoenix.

Harriet also seemed to be buoyed by the song as her back straightened and she seemed taller. Her eyes were intense, and the swirling wind blew her hair back to make her look like a Valkyrie.

Suddenly the crowd could see that there wasn't just a connection between the wands, there was a battle.

The center of light in the middle began to slide towards Harriet. Voldemort's and Harriet's wand began to shake harder.

Slowly ever so slowly the bead of light began to slide to Harriet's wand, and the closer it got the more Harriets wand shook. It was now only a foot from Harriet's wand

"DON'T LET HIM WIN HARRIET!" Dumbledore voice rang out as he yelled at the screen. "PUSH HIM BACK!"

Hermione took up the call. "Push him back Harriet!" Hermione screamed.

Then the flood gate broke, and everyone came to life screaming.

"Doncha let 'im win lass!" McGonagall screamed.

"Harriet doncha give up, ya hear!" Hagrid bellowed.

The rest of the teachers and visitors were on their feet.

Snape, however, watched the proceedings silently but very intently. This was even beyond his wildest imagination, but that did not mean he would let his guard drop. He was one of the few who noticed when Karkaroff snuck out in the middle of the commotion.

"'Arriet you must fight!" Fleur screamed!

"Fight, Fight!" from Krum.

"Come on Harriet!" Cedric screamed.

"Hoorah! Hoorah!" the Durmstrang boys began to chant rhythmically beating their fists.

"Allez, Allez!" The Beauxbaton students screamed.

Hogwarts was loud. They screamed and cried and yelled.

Save for most of the Slytherins.

The Weasley boys were screaming and begging her to win.

Mrs. Weasley had her hands clutched in front of her praying.

A dog was barking loudly while watching from Hagrid's hut courtesy of Dumbledore.

Far away a werewolf was in a bar watching the third task and screaming hoarsely at the Videus screen with the other patrons of the leaky cauldron. Everyone else was likewise screaming and banging their mugs.

The Aurors crowded around their screen screaming desperately.

"KICK HIS ASS HARRIET!" Tonks was screaming.

"WIN! GIRL! WIN!" Amelia found herself shouting at the screen.

As if she could hear them all, Harriet did begin to push Voldemort back. The power grew and grew, the wind swirled, and the ball of light moved towards Voldemort. It took another minute but finally, the ball was right at the end. With Voldemort's wand shaking badly.

When the Videus charm turned back to Harriet's face, her eyes were glowing bright green. Her face was furious and concentrated like she was putting everything she had into her wand. Her hair was fanned behind her, whipping in the strange breeze.

Voldemort's eyes were wide however and unsure. The phoenix song grew louder and then with a final yell from Harriet, that could just barely be heard over the phoenix song, the little bead of light disappeared into Voldemorts wand.

Suddenly loud screams of pain rent the air. The sounds seemed to be coming from Voldemort's wand itself.

Something like smoke began to emerge from the tip of Voldemort's wand. It took a moment for everyone to see that the smoky shape was actually a hand, which dropped to the ground from the wand and started twitching.

Next, a head began to appear, followed by a torso and then legs. The man was old and wearing muggle clothing. He floated down, took a look around then walked over towards Harriet.

"Hello, girl." He said to her and Harriet's eyes were wide with astonishment. "All this magic nonsense is true huh? Well, that one over there killed me, you know? So, don't you let him win, alright." The voice of the man was echoey like it came from far away.

The spectators were all agape. Whatever they had been expecting it wasn't that. Both Harriet and Voldemort also looked astonished. Neither was expecting this.

The ghost of the old man walked around the edge and then neared Voldemort and started to whisper hostile things to him.

They watched again as another head began to appear. Most recognized the face of Bertha Jorkins who had emerged from the wand. When completely out, Bertha walked over to Harriet.

"Harriet dear! You have to be strong alright. You can't let him win. You only have to keep hold a little longer. They are coming," she said with a smile to the still astonished Harriet. But this time Harriet nodded to the ghost.

Who 'they' were was revealed soon, and many people gasped as they recognized the next face that appeared from the wand. Everyone who was old enough could recognize her face, but anyone could guess from the family resemblance who it was. The woman was beautiful and when her ghostly feet touched the ground she smiled widely and hurried over to Harriet.

"My darling, lovely, smart, beautiful, brave, so so very brave daughter!" the woman said as she came closer.

Everyone saw more than heard when Harriet mouthed the word 'mum.'

"Yes sweetie, just hang on a bit longer okay. Your father is coming, he wants to see you. We love you so much, Harriet. Just hang on a little longer."

She continued to croon to Harriet, sweet little words. 'I love you,' 'were so proud,' 'so beautiful.'

Remus in the leaky cauldron was clutching his chest as he saw his old friend Lily emerged. Tears started to leak from his eyes.

Sirius howled hard at the site.

In the crowd, one man drank in the sight like a man finding water in the middle of the desert. He listened hard to the words and wished desperately they were for him.

Then another figure emerged.

This man was tall and handsome, with rectangular glasses and his messy hair stuck up in all angles and he quickly ran over to the woman and child.

Remus sat down hard and stared at his old friend, tears unashamedly springing to his eyes.

Sirius turned into a human without conscious thought and reached his hand out to the screen with a sob.

"Harriet! My brave girl! We are so proud," James Potter said smiling lovingly at her. She drank in the sight of them together in front of her. They were both wearing a smile, full of love but tinged with sadness.

"But there is so little time, so you must listen," he continued. His smiling face turning serious. "Harriet, you must get back to the portkey."

Everyone watching at home perked up at the change in tone.

"It will take you back to Hogwarts. We will distract Voldemort while you make a break for it." James said seriously to Harriet.

"But we can only hold him off for a moment," Lily said urgently.

"The cup is ten meters behind you to the left at thirty degrees. There are two Death Eaters in the way." James's voice and his smile turned impossibly cheeky. "Give them hell Harriet."

Harriet gave a choked laugh, but she nodded seriously to her father. Tears were leaking from her eyes but a steely glint entered her features.

"Harriet," Lily's face was incredibly sad. "That night I used old magic, I made a deal, and you have to fulfill it. I am so sorry. All will be revealed. Just know I love you, we both love you."

Harriet looked confused.

"You're okay baby girl, and you're ready. Be strong Harriet!" James said to her.

"Break the connection, Harriet, do it NOW!" Lily yelled.

Harriet did as she was told.

The crowd jumped to their feet as Harriet yanked her wand and the connection broke. The ghosts seemed to disperse and create a thick fog that obscured Voldemort and most of his Death Eaters. But everyone was more focused on Harriet who whipped up her wand and called " _B_ _ombarda!"_

Two Death Eaters, who were disoriented from the sudden disappearance of the bright light and appearance of the thick fog, were caught in the explosion spell and sent flying.

Then Harriet who was bedraggled, injured and desperate, went flying past them, running hard.

The Videus charm followed her as she wove as fast as she could between the tall tombstones.

The crowd was jumping again, egging her on, praying for a miracle.

"RUN, RUN, RUN" Hermione screamed while clutching her hair.

"GO HARRIET RUN, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE RUN!" Ron yelled desperately.

The crowd and Harriet heard Voldemort yell as he broke through and gave chase.

Harriet ducked behind a tombstone, barely slowing down and cast a spell on herself, _"Geminius momentum."_ The same spell she had used in the first task.

The illusion of herself shot forward along her original path to the cup and Harriet angled slightly to the right. She sprinted hard but stayed low below the tall tombs. She came even with the cup just as her ghost self was approaching the trophy.

The crowd heard Voldemort yell at the same time Harriet did.

" _Avada Kedavra!"_

 _"Accio!"_

The crowd saw the green curse sail forward and pass through the illusion of Harriet, while the cup sailed towards Harriet's hand.

There was a split second where Voldemort and Harriet were looking at each other. Voldemort realized his mistake and Harriet stood hand outstretched for the cup. Voldemort scream of rage could be heard right as Harriet caught the cup and disappeared.

The screen flashed with strange ribbons of colours a second time. Then Harriet appeared back in Hogwarts.

* * *

She landed hard.

She went sprawling awkwardly and flat out onto her belly.

The crowd was now roaring and crying and screaming. There was chaos as many people began to move and panic. But it was Dumbledore who got to her first. He flicked his hand and the cup went carelessly flying far away from everyone.

Then he knelt beside Harriet as she tried to get control with the amount of pain, she was in. She landed on her ribs and was finding breathing difficult.

Dumbledore gently flipped her, while keeping a hold on her shoulders. She grabbed his robe

"He's back. Voldemort is back."

"We know Harriet, we saw. I am so sorry I couldn't find you." Dumbledore told her and he indicated the screen. She managed to look up and see her face on the big screen. Saying she looked rough was being generous.

Dumbledore laid her down to deal with the crowd, "stay still Harriet."

A quick _s_ _onorus_ and his voice was amplified.

"EVERYONE QUIET!" the crowd stilled. "Please let Madam Pomfrey through."

The crowd parted and the struggling nurse came forward. She didn't even look at Dumbledore before kneeling next to Harriet.

"Mr. Holly!" Dumbledore called. "Come here."

The shakey Mr. Holly came forward already knowing his tasks.

"Professor Sprout, please escort all non-Hogwarts personal off the premises. I am sorry but you must leave."

The Videus screen disappeared behind Dumbledore as he was talking. The broadcast was officially over and the Triwizard Tournament was finished. Mr. Holly stepped back.

"With the obvious exception of course. Mrs. Weasley, you may stay." Dumbledore said, only after the Videus screen was gone. Mrs. Weasley with the group of Weasleys and Hermione in tow came forward but stayed back while Madam Pomfrey was waving her wand.

"Prefects, please escort your houses to their common room. You will do a head count and report to Professor Flitwick. Students who are unaccounted for will face serious repercussions."

Everyone was distracted from listening to Dumbledore when Harriet rose up behind him.

Madam Pomfrey had conjured an invisible stretcher, and the still gasping Harriet was lifted for transport to the hospital wing. Everyone kept their eyes on her as she floated out of the area.

Quickly Madam Pomfrey left the stadium with Harriet's friends jogging behind her to keep up with Madam Pomfrey's fast clip.

The crowd murmured and strained their necks to get a view. Even Dumbledore watched her go with worry lining his face.

Tonight had been an intense event, and it would have far-reaching consequences.


	24. Healing

Harriet was in schock.

She had been a moment away from dying tonight. Voldemort had risen to his full strength and then beaten the shit out of her.

She almost welcomed the pain she was currently in, as it allowed her to ignore the fear in her stomach that made her want to vomit. Every nerve ending was still fried from the cruciatus curses that Voldemort had dealt her, and every slight jostle in the stretcher brought it back to the front of her mind.

She saw Mrs. Weasley running beside her on her right and Hermione on her left. Ron was beside Hermione and was white as a sheet. She was so grateful to see them again, but couldn't even begin to articulate that, let alone say it.

She was still gasping for air, partly from the pain, partly because she believed something was wrong with her chest, and partly from anxiety.

They made it up to the hospital wing in record time and Madam Pomfrey lowered her onto her regular bed. Her wand flicked and the curtains closed on the faces of her friends.

"You will all wait outside, and I will call you when she is stable," Madam Pomfrey yelled and Harriet distantly registered that she heard shuffling.

Madam Pomfrey quickly waved her wand over Harriet and then a piece of paper began to appear in the air. It looked like it was being spat out of an invisible printer. While that was happening Madam Pomfrey grabbed a strange mask from a side cupboard. It was only a half mask that only covered the bottom of her face and had a hole where the mouth was. Madam Pomfrey fixed it on her face and tied it behind her head.

"It's so you can get more oxygen," she informed. Then turned away and focused on her piece of paper.

"Broken ribs, oh dear, puncture of the pleural cavity, lets deal with that before your lung collapses," Madam Pomfrey then rolled Harriet on her side and a thin string with a sharp point at the end came floating over to her like a snake. Madam Pomfrey directed it to somewhere under her armpit and then she felt a quick sharp poke.

It was like she could breathe again! The struggle that she had been having with breathing disappeared and she took in the air gratefully.

Madam Pomfrey gave her something to drink.

"It's a pain relief potion. It will numb your body for a bit." She said and the liquid was directed to her throat. She gulped it and began to feel the effects immediately. She felt out of body as she watched Madam Pomfrey continue to work over her.

"Now let see what else," she said while grabbing the floating paper. "Severely depleted magical core, you will need rest for that, and honestly it is no wonder. Nerve ending damaged, left shoulder not properly set, pinched nerve in there as well. Fractured right orbital bone on your face dear, but not to worry I will have your pretty cheekbones back to normal. Burns on your right forearm, two deep cuts on left arm and you lost quite a blood, not to mention many other scrapes and bruises. Your blood count is low, let's deal with that next."

A bright red potion was grabbed, and the liquid was then directed to her mouth. She swallowed obediently.

Then Madam Pomfrey set her ribs and did something at her cheek. Her left shoulder was next and manipulated with magic back into the proper place. Harriet imagined that if she wasn't dosed with pain potion that it would hurt quite a bit, as it was, the feeling was uncomfortable. She was also given a small dose of skelegrow and a thick paste was rubbed on the areas for the bruising. A strange vapor potion was put under her nose and she was told to breathe as deep as she could. It was apparently for lung tissue. Madam Pomfrey turned her attention to her cuts, which were cleaned thoroughly. The one on her shoulder from the skrewt was mended without hassle, but the burn from the lightning and the cut from the dagger were different issues.

"Unfortunately," Madam Pomfrey said with a worried look. "The… the dagger must have been goblin steal. Goblin steal makes it so that the wound edges can't be joined. It will have to heal the old fashioned way, and it will leave a scar. "

Madam Pomfrey summoned a needle and thread, which came floating over. The needle and thread began to very precisely and evenly pull her skin back together. When finished the cut was wrapped in gauze and a bandage.

"And the same thing with this burn dear. I don't know what dark magic he used to make that lightning but It burned you good. There is only so much I can do for this, and I believe you will always have a scar on your wrist and arm. I am going to make it as less noticeable as possible, and it may fade with time. It's also good you were wearing that holster and arm guard or else this may have been much worse," Madam Pomfrey said while she cleaned the strange wound and applied a thick potion. The potion seemed to heal the skin to a point, but some spots were still left raw. Madam Pomfrey bandaged her right arm as well.

Finally, she was given a potion for nerve damage for the cruciatus and the pinched nerve.

"Next ime you try to do something like episky your dislocated shoulder, you have to make sure you aren't lying down. Try to be leaning forward and preferably leaning against a solid object like a wall," her tone wasn't scolding, her pinched face indicated that she was giving this lesson seriously. Madam Pomfrey understood the implications of what happened tonight.

Eventually, all that was left to face was the massive hit her psyche had underwent today.

Madam Pomfrey eventually removed the tube from around her armpit when she deemed Harriet was not in danger from lung collapse or her lung space being repunctured. She then patched the hole and Harriet was moved into an upright position. There was a moment where there was silence and Harriet just stared at the bedsheet. Madam Pomfrey gave her a concerned look, removed the mask and pet her hair in a comforting way.

"Harriet dear, I'm going to bring your friends in alright. Then we will give you another dose of pain potion and dreamless sleep potion. You have gone through a lot today and you are going to need to rest your body and mind." Madam Pomfrey said while gently stroking her hair. Harriet would be happy to take a dreamless sleep potion and rest because she honestly felt completely drained.

Madam Pomfrey brought in the whole Weasley crew and immediately Hermione and Ron practically threw themselves at her. She was hugged from both sides and Harriet buried her face into the shoulders of her friends. They were there for a long moment and she heard Hermione sniffling in her ear and Rons heavy breathing. Finally, they pulled back. And one by one the Weasley came forward.

Ginny was also crying and hugged her tight. The twins gave her hugs as well and Bill gave her good shoulder a squeeze. Mrs. Weasley gave her a long hug and rocked her. Harriet hadn't ever had a hug like this, at least one she could remember. It reminded her that she had met her mum and dad tonight.

Tears started to leak, and she couldn't hold back a sob as she clung to Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley just let her cry while rubbing her back. After a while, her sobs went back to short sniffles and she realized that Hermione was also stroking her head.

The moment was interrupted however when the doors to the hospital wing bust open. Everyone turned to see, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Fudge, and a large black dog come hurtling into the hospital wing.

There was lots of noise but Harriet focused on the large dog that came hurtling at her. Hermione quickly moved out of the way and the dog raised on its hind legs, placed its paws on the bed, and moved its head towards her. The worried whines from the dog meant everything to Harriet. Harriet immediately hugged the dog and held him close barely registering those around her.

She did hear Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley try to get rid of the dog and Dumbledore calmly reassured the women that the dog was well trained.

Then she heard Fudge still trying to get Dumbledore's attention.

"Dumbledore, I do think that Harriet should be brought to the Ministry," Fudge blustered.

Dumbledore spoke "The only one who must leave the castle is Barty Crouch Junior. Get an Auror here and get him out of the castle and into custody. While Hogwarts can hold him, I do not want that man near the students."

"Dumbledore, the Auror's are stretched thin as it is with investigating this…incident."

"The resurrection of Voldemort, Cornelius," Dumbledore said intently.

"Well, I believe that Harriet should come with me and tell the Aurors herself,"

"Cornelius, Harriet is injured and tired and should not be moved at all. It is out of the question that Harriet will be leaving," Dumbledore said calmly.

"I am just saying that we need all the facts of the night straight,"

"The facts are perfectly clear Cornelius, we just interviewed Barty Crouch Junior ourselves under veritaserum, you were with us. He put Harriet in the cup on orders from Voldemort so that Voldemort could use Harriet to again gain his power. He also killed his own father." Dumbledore said sternly.

"Well, it seems like a long way for You-Know-Who to go to get her. What makes her so special that Voldemort would go so far to get her?" Fudge asked.

"Did you not listen! You-Know-Who wanted to overcome Lily's protection in Harriet's blood." McGonagall said angerly.

"Perhaps, but maybe it's for a darker reason." Fudge said like he was sharing a conspiracy.

There was a beat of silence.

"Have you been reading Rita Skeeter, minister?" Harriet asked. Fudge turned a nasty look at her.

"A parselmouth, Dumbledore. We have no idea what You-Know-Who said to her when he was being hissy, nor what that giant snake said, nor what she said to them! She did a bit too well this tournament, didn't she? And then do you really think that what you saw today is real," Fudge said imploringly to the group in attendance.

"Cornelius!" Dumbledore said very seriously to the man. "I know it is hard to admit, but Voldemort has risen again. I believe that everything we saw today was real and that Harriet did everything in her power to fight the man. Harriet can speak Parseltongue because some of Voldemort's power transferred to her when she was young. But power is only evil when used for evil intent, otherwise, it is just an ability. Do not delude yourself that this is not real."

Dumbledore seemed to grow and expand, and the entire room felt his gravity, "This will be war Minister."

Fudge was shaking his head.

"You have a choice now Minister. If you take action you will be hailed as a hero for generations to come, but if you do not you will go down in history as a fool. Employ more Auror's. Send out a call that the Ministry needs more people. Send an envoy to the goblins, the giants, the merpeople, the centaurs, the vampires, and the werewolves. Voldemort will be doing the same, and should they join him, our ministry will have a much more difficult war on our hands. You must also remove the Dementors from Azkaban. Those beings are evil and will flock to Voldemort's side like bees to honey. You will lose control of the prison if you do not."

Fudge was still shaking his head, "Dumbledore the ministry does not have funds for more Aurors. And giants and werewolves Dumbledore, that may be alright for you, but negotiation with dangerous, violent creatures aren't tolerated in the ministry. The dementors will not be leaving, we will need them more than ever if You-Know-Who has really returned."

"The Dementors sided with Voldemort in the previous war," Dumbledore said with his eyes hard.

"That was never proven!"

"This is being foolish Minister. The people of the wizarding world will need to be prepared for the war that is –"

"THERE WILL BE NO WAR! This is just a madman! The Auror will deal with it and the public will be kept calm." Fudge yelled.

"Even if you don't call it war, that is what Voldemort declared today. He is a gifted strategist and the public must be prepared." Dumbledore told the manic Fudge. "Even if you do not act, I will."

"You will go against me…" Fudge glared at Dumbledore.

"We are on the same side Cornelius. I will be taking action against Voldemort." Dumbledore shook his head.

"Then work for me at the ministry!" Fudge yelled.

"My place is here and protecting Hogwarts," Dumbledore said raising an eyebrow.

"You mean protecting her!" he yelled pointing at Harriet. "She should be with the ministry if she is so important."

"Harriet is fourteen and not your figurehead Fudge. Do not assume that you can use this as an excuse. You wish to restrict her movements and use her image. But I cannot allow this. And neither will her guardians, the Dursleys or Sirius Black."

Harriet's fist tightened in Sirius fur, but she didn't move otherwise.

"YES! That is another thing! The girl must be brought in and questioned about Black's whereabouts!" Fudge yelled.

"NO, it seems more like Sirius case should undergo an investigation. It seems he is innocent after all." Dumbledore spoke sternly.

"He is a murder!" Fudge yelled, "Even if Pettigrew is alive, then he killed muggles."

"Again, I believe that his case must be reviewed. I suspect there is much more than what meets the eye." Dumbledore said gravely.

"You are taking my power Dumbledore, you are opposing me." Fudge snarled.

"I am not taking your power! I am trying to give you wisdom and remind you of your limitations, restraining a teenager because you don't like that she can speak to snakes is petty and misguided." Dumbledore said wearily. "We are on the same side Fudge, but I must act independently from the ministry and as I see fit."

There was again silence.

"Very well… I see you will not support me," Fudge said harshly. He walked over to Harriet then and Sirius let out a growl. But all Fudge did was remove a bag from his pocket and drop it on her side table. It made a heavy clang as the bag hit the wood.

"Your winnings."

Then Fudge walked out of the hospital wing.

When the door slammed shut behind him there was a moment of silence. Where everyone stared at the closed doors in shock.

It was surprisingly interrupted by Hermione.

BANG!

Everyone turned to look and they strangely saw Hermione putting something into a glass jam jar. She looked up sheepishly.

"Sorry," she whispered.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow but then turned to McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.

"Poppy, Minerva, I must ask you to step out for a moment," Dumbledore said.

"Albus, my patient," Pomfrey said with worry.

"It will just be a moment Poppy," Dumbledore reassured.

When the worried women had left, Dumbledore came over to Harriet's bed.

"Harriet… I must apologize again. It seems that there are many forces at work and you are going to be at the center of it. Now I have to prepare myself. Mrs. Weasley, can I count on you and your husband?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded, "Of course, we are blood traitors in You-Know-Who's eyes, we will support you over Fudge."

"I'll go tell Dad," said Bill then.

Dumbledore nodded. "Ask that he discreetly gather support. He will know what for," Dumbledore said again.

Bill left and Dumbledore again waited for the doors to close.

"Now I believe it's time that we are all properly acquainted. Sirius if you please…"

The large dog transformed then into the bedraggled man. The twins and Ginny jumped and stared wide-eyed at the man, while Mrs. Weasley let out a cry, and Snape's gaze became hostile.

"Mum relax! Sirius is on our side, he didn't kill anyone!" Ron said, while holding his mother's arm.

"Yeah, he was framed by Pettigrew, Mrs. Weasley!" Hermione chimed in.

Harriet just reached over and hugged the now human Sirius, burying her face into his chest, who hugged her back tightly.

"Hey kiddo, Merlin you gave me a scare. No more of that okay." He said with a wobbly voice while stroking her hair.

"And how do you three know all of this!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. Ron and Hermione gave her a guilty look. Even Harriet peeked a sheepish glance over her shoulder at Mrs. Weasley.

"Ah… well… Harriet and I may have helped him escape from a Hogwarts in third year and saved him from a hundred dementors. But he only came after us cause Scabber's was Pettigrew," Hermione explained, but poorly, as the Weasley's save Ron all wore flabbergasted faces.

Finally, Mrs. Weasley just settled a glare on Ron and Hermione. "We will discuss this later."

Sirius just snickered at Ron and Hermione misfortune.

"Sirius," Dumbledore gained the attention of the room again, "Can I have your support?"

"You never lost it," Sirius said.

"Then I need you to gather the old crowd. Starting with Lupin. We will need a headquarters as well." Dumbledore said.

"I think I know a place," Sirius said with a grimace. Dumbledore just nodded.

"Severus, please stop glaring and put away your wand. Sirius is innocent and I do not have time for such school year rivalry."

Snape had his wand out and was glaring harshly at Sirius. He looked unconvinced that Sirius was innocent.

Sirius just glared back.

"Enough!" Dumbledore said harsher than Harriet had ever heard him. "Shake hands now, you are on the same side from now on."

Very reluctantly the two men shook, but it only lasted a second. Dumbledore seemed to realize that this was as good as he would get.

"Sirius please go now, use the floo, in my office. The password is cockroach clusters."

Sirius turned to her then. "You okay kid? I have to go, but I'll be in touch."

She didn't want him to go. She wanted him to stay and tell her everything was going to be fine. But she also knew he would have to leave regardless. He was at risk here, but maybe he wouldn't be for long. If any bright side came from tonight it was that his name could be cleared.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine. Sirius, you'll be free soon. The world saw Pettigrew right?" she asked.

Sirius seemed to grimace. "Yeah kid, thanks to you there's a chance, but it came at too high a price."

With that Sirius changed back into a dog and slipped out of the Hospital wing.

Finally, Dumbledore turned to Snape.

"Severus, you know what I must ask," he said in a very grave tone. Dumbledore looked at the stern professor, obviously worried if the creases on his face were anything to judge by. Dumbledore looked inexplicably old at this moment.

Snape looked pale but eventually nodded. He then left the hospital wing as well. McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey poked their heads in and Dumbledore waved them in. Then he turned to her again.

"You should know Harriet, that because of you we were able to find the real Alastor Moody and get him to St Mungos. He is going to be fine." Dumbledore said softly. "You fought hard today Harriet. It does not seem like it now, but you should know that you won a battle today. What happened with your wands is a rare phenomenon called priori incantem. It is what happens when two brother wands meet in battle. They do not work properly against one another. It tends to bring out the magic of the wands themselves, instead of just being a tool to enhance the magic of a witch or wizard. That is why the phoenix song sounded when the spells met. The very power of the phoenix was brought forth. Ironically the feather in both your and Voldemort's wand is from my own phoenix Fawkes. It is the only feathers he ever gave. Strange how fate works."

Harriet was wide-eyed at the revelation.

"When you won the battle of wills against Voldemort tonight, you gained control of the connection and could use the magic in the wands to your advantage. It is no small feat to drive Voldemort back Harriet, to truly beat him when your will and not your experience was placed head to head. You have done something amazing today." He said this with true admiration in his voice and Harriet squirmed under the praise. She had just been doing everything she could to survive, not to win. Everything she had done was in a desperate, panicky manner, and she didn't feel like she had done something amazing.

Dumbledore continued. "By having control of the wands, you forced his wand to reveal all the imprinted Magic within it. That is the reason that you saw your parent's tonight Harriet. A bit of their magic that allowed them to connect to you, but Harriet do not mistake this for the dead coming back. Nothing can raise the dead Harriet." He said gravely.

She felt tears prick her eyes again. The comforting arms of Mrs. Weasley wrapped around her she felt them squeeze. Despite her parent's being gone, she wasn't alone.

"Now I believe it is time to let you rest," Dumbledore said sadly. "I am so sorry I couldn't prevent what happened Harriet."

She shook her head. "I-it's okay. I only figured it out when I looked at it from the perspective of trying to kidnap me, not kill me. And then it was too late," she said quietly.

"Even so," Dumbledore sighed. "I must be back to my office I have much more to do. Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley will look after you."

He smiled at her and turned to leave.

"Professor," Harriet called.

He turned back towards her.

"I recognized one of the Death Eater. I recognized his eyes and his voice." Harriet said. And Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"It was Lucius Malfoy," she said. Her gut twisted as she thought of Draco, but she pushed that away.

Dumbledore nodded and thanked her. Then he turned and left the hospital wing.

McGonagall came over and gave her a hug

"You did well lass. Granger and Weasleys, please make sure you are back in bed soon. Mrs. Weasley, just come to my office when you are done, and you may use my floo to get home." McGonagall spoke quietly.

She left and Madam Pomfrey came over with the dreamless sleep potion.

"Here you are," she soothed. "You need a good night of rest."

Harriet nodded then lifted the vial. After that, she lay down again and looked at the faces of her friends, her family. They gave her reassuring and loving looks.

She nodded off soon after to the quiet murmurs around her. Blissfully entering a black void, where no nightmare could harm her.


	25. The Power to Choose

**Hey everyone, thanks again for all the follows and well wishes. I am just giving a little warning. I feel like the first part of this chapter is a little violent and I am just issuing a small warning for just in case. I will do a synopsis at the end if you want to skip the first half. If you want to skip, go to the first line break.**

* * *

Harriet woke up. She didn't know why but she did note that it was dark and must be quite late.

Strangely her hackles were raised. It was the same feeling of being watched as the Videus charm, like there were eyes on her.

She lifted her head and looked around groggily.

There was a very faint light coming from a dim torch on the other side of the hospital wing, but it was very dark in the curtained-off space that was her bed. As such it was nearly too dark to see anything. She nearly missed the slightly darker gap in the curtain, while she scanned her surroundings. Her face turned back to the dark spot.

She stared hard at the part in the curtain. Suddenly the tension in her body began to rise and she was wide awake. She felt her heart beat hard, and her ears strained forward, as she stared at the gap. She stopped breathing and waited.

For ten seconds there was no sound and the hospital wing was silent. She had nearly convinced herself that it was nothing, then there was the sound of shifting fabric.

Harriet didn't wait, her hand came up and tried to get to her wand to see what was going on. But as she reached for her wand on the bedside table a figure came through the curtains. Fast.

The heavy figure landed on top of her and her body, which had been reaching for her wand, was thrown slightly to the side. The tip of her fingers hit her wand and knocked it off the table. She heard it clatter on the stone and roll but was more concerned with the heavy body that was on hers.

There was a struggle of flailing limbs as each of the struggling people tried to gain an upper hand. She was started to scream for help, trying to squirm away as best she could from the body. The man was grunting and grabbing. He managed to reach up where her mouth was, reaching blindly based on the noise she was making, but he managed to put a hand near her mouth his fingers slightly covering her lips.

She reacted on instinct as she opened her mouth and then bite down hard on the man's finger. So hard in fact, that she tasted blood and felt the finger give with a crunch in her jaws. The man screamed and reared back.

She used that opportunity to roll off the bed. She hit the floor on her hands and feet, and she felt the man try and follow her, but she scuttled sideways awkwardly while attempting to regain her footing. She ran right into the curtain and impatiently tried to rip them off herself. The structure holding the curtains came down and she felt the man behind her get likewise tangled in the thick fabric. She managed to get out of the curtains first and disoriented she ran to the only source of light in the room. It was the torch that was very dimly lit at the entrance of the hospital wing. She hit the door and heard the man struggling behind her. Despite the dim light, it was too dark to make out details. She tried desperately to find the handle of the door and get out into the corridor. She heard him coming up behind her and she finally found the latch. She yanked open the door and look off into the better-lit corridor. As a rule, there was always some torches lit during the night in Hogwarts. Especially to the hospital wing for emergencies.

She flew as quick as she could down the hall, but the man was right behind her. She screamed for help as she continued running hoping that anyone would come and help her, her voice rang loud in the quiet castle. There were no paintings on the way to the hospital wing, so there was no one to spread the word and contact a teacher. She just needed to reach the main part of the hallway. Unfortunately, the man got to her first. Just as she was reaching the steps leading down to the second floor, he tackled her. Fortunately, they were still both far enough away from the staircase and they fell right before it and not fall down the long set of stairs.

The man was on her back and already was trying to pin her down, but she struggled away from the man and managed to get back to her feet. She tried to move forward but fell hard again as the man caught her ankle. She was now right on the edge of the staircase and the man got leverage enough that he was able to pull herself top of her.

She had flipped over when she landed and tried to kick her feet out at her attacker, but he had been able to avoid the kicks. She was now facing him and she looked up into a face that was unknown yet completely recognizable. Barty Crouch Junior was sweaty and ragged. He was breathing hard and his eyes were wide and manic. His mouth was twisted in a snarl and his hair was limp. He had the wasted look of Azkaban that she had seen on her own Godfather, but the evil madness in his eyes was something she knew from Voldemort.

It didn't matter that she recognized him because he now had his hands around her throat and was squeezing hard. The pain in her throat was indescribable but even worse was her inability to breath. He had her completely pinned, and even though her arms were free the man had much longer arms than her and she couldn't reach his face. She tried to punch and claw anything she could reach but the man just squeezed tighter. His larger hand fit easily around her thin neck.

He then reared back and banged her head down on the stone. Her vision swam and dizzying pain exploded in her head. He reared back and slammed her head down onto the stone again, but she didn't even realize until pain erupted again at the back of her head. Very distantly she heard a crack of her own head hitting the floor. She couldn't concentrate. There was blackness swimming and she felt out of touch with her body. She was dying and she couldn't even concentrate enough to articulate the fact.

Suddenly the weight shifted. She felt herself get dragged briefly sideways then the weight of Crouch's heavy body was gone, and she could breathe. The momentum of the weight shift dragged her onto her stomach and as she took a large painful breath in, she opened her eyes.

Just in time to see Bartimus Crouch Junior tumble down the stairs then hit the bottom landing hard and head first. She heard the muffled 'snap' then Crouch Junior's limp, crooked body lay still at the bottom of the stairs. His face was turned grotesquely one way, while his body faced another.

Although she saw it, it took her brain a while to catch up. She took in another painful breath and realized she was making strange wheezing noises.

Her breathing stopped altogether through a moment later. Time seemed to slow, and her eyes widened as she witnessed a nightmare sight.

Long black fingers slipped around the arch near where Crouch lay. This hallway usually led off to the Ravenclaw tower, but it seemed today it was the opening to hell. The fingers curled slowly around the edge and pulled the body it was attached to forward. The first thing to appear was the strange veiled head that acted like it was sniffing the air. It was impossible to tell though due to the lack of features. This was followed by a veiled, stretched-out body. The grey man came forward, bent at the waist and with an unnatural swaying walk like it had too many joints for a humanoid figure. The massive, long man crawled towards the body of Crouch Junior but stopped short of the body itself.

Like it scented another scent, it's head on it strangely long neck seemed to wind in the air like a snake. Then it's flat, featureless face swung around and the grey man's hollow white eyes focused upon her.

She could feel the erratic rhythm of her heart and there was a dull roar in her ears. Her body was seized in a deep and resounding primal fear. Every nerve screamed to get away, but her body couldn't respond and she was locked in. It took a step towards her.

Then she was ripped back into real time when she was grabbed around the shoulders and flipped onto her back. She took in another deep gulping breath and tried to turn around again to see the grey man, everything in her body telling her not to turn her back to the creature. She managed to turn her head, with considerable pain, but she saw only the cooked body of Crouch Junior. The grey man had disappeared

A hand very gently grabbed her cheek and turned her away from the sight.

She was faced then with her savior, who had turned her face and had his other hand on her shoulder. The black eyes of Snape scanned her face and took in her general well being.

She felt herself panicking horribly. She had just had to fight for her life again and this time she had very nearly lost. At least with Voldemort, she had had a chance with her wand. She had been completely unable to fight Crouch off, and she was feeling horribly afraid and vulnerable.

She was unable to get air in fast enough and she was disoriented. She didn't know what to think and it felt like she was shutting down. Surprisingly, Snape seemed to realize what was going on, because he gently lifted her into a sitting position and kneeled on one knee beside her.

He then came back into her vision with one arm holding her steady around her shoulders.

"Harriet. Focus on me. Look at me. Do it now," Snape said to her and she felt herself obeying. She looked into his black eyes and listened.

"Now I need you to put all your focus into breathing. Nothing else just breath. Come on Harriet with me. In… out… follow along now… in… out." He said softly while his eyes bored into her.

She put everything she had into listening to Snape. She listened to him breath in and then blow out, and she tried to copy. Soon she heard herself breathing with Snape as he held her upright and tight to his side.

This became more focused after a few breaths and the pain came back stronger. While she was breathing, she was still making that strange wheezing noise and it hurt like a bitch to breathe.

She also became aware of the fact that she and Snape were not the only ones in the corridor. Dobby was beside her on the opposite side of Snape and wringing his marron sweater fretfully with one hand while stroking her arm with the other. He was also whispering to her.

"Please misses Harriet, please be alright. The bad mans gone now, you's alright misses Harriet." Dobby whispered in his high pitch voice.

"Potter," Snape called quietly when it seemed like she had more of a grip. "Are you injured anywhere else?"

It took her a moment, but she finally managed to wheeze out the answer.

"My head," her voice was impossibly soft and breathy.

Very gently he shifted his hand again and reached around her head. His finger moved along the back of her head and prodded very very gently. Finally, he came to a point and she couldn't hold back the hiss of pain. He stopped and drew his hand back and she noted that his hand had blood on it.

Then she became aware of footsteps racing down the hall.

Dumbledore rounded the corner, still in bright purple robes. He had not gone to bed yet obviously. He knelt by her other side and looked her over.

"Is she alright?" Dumbledore asked Snape quietly.

"No, I caught Crouch strangling her and slamming her head against the ground," Snape said with loathing. "I'm sorry Dumbledore, I tried to disarm him so he would let go of her, but the force was too much. He was right on the edge to the stairs," Snape said and indicated with his head the crumpled remains of Crouch Junior.

Dumbledore observed the body at the bottom of the stairs. He seemed to be doing some quick calculations.

"How was your meeting?" Dumbledore asked.

"Painful but he believes me," Snape said shortly. "But he won't after this," Harriet had no idea what they were talking about. She was still more concerned with getting air in and the painful headache that was beginning.

There was silence again, and then Dumbledore came into her field of vision.

"Harriet can you understand me?" he asked. And despite the pain and shock, she could understand him, she nodded very slightly.

"Harriet and Dobby, I need your attention very quickly as this is extremely important," Dumbledore said gravely. She managed to focus on Dumbledore.

"This is extremely important, and I am asking for you to trust me." Dumbledore continued. "Tonight, it was not Professor Snape that saved you, Harriet. Dobby went and got me first instead of warning the nearest teacher. I was just in time to save you, Harriet. And when I saw what was happening, I disarmed from the end of the corridor and sent him tumbling. I am asking you to lie. We are entering a dangerous time and it is crucial that this secret stays between only the four of us." Dumbledore said urgently and quietly. "Can I count on you? The entire outcome of the impending war could be at stake."

Dobby stopped his nervous fidgeting and stared at Dumbledore. "Dobby will keep Headmaster Dumbledore's secrets. Dobby will never tell another soul!"

"Thank you, Dobby," Dumbledore bowed his head to the elf. "Harriet? Please, this is very important."

Harriet chanced a glance at Snape and saw him staring very intently at her. His dark eyes focused on her face. It came down to whether she trusted Dumbledore. And she did, although sometimes it seemed strange to do so. She recognized the worlds need for a strong leader, and she sure as hell wasn't trusting Fudge.

"Yes," she managed to whisper out.

"Thank you, Harriet," Dumbledore said relieved. "Now Severus, please take Miss Potter to the Hospital wing, and I shall deal with this."

Snape then gently gripped her and, like she weighed nothing, he managed to haul her up to standing. She balanced for a moment but the shock of the last few minutes, her lack of oxygen and the dizziness of her head made her legs buckle.

Thankfully, Snape caught her and with little fuss, he scooped her up and carried her back the way she had run from moments before. He banged into the Hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey was already hurrying towards him with rollers in her hair and a bathrobe haphazardly tied around herself.

"What happened?" She asked Snape.

"Crouch attacked her, she was being strangled and he tried to smash her head. Dumbledore saved her." Snape said quickly laying her back on her bed. He made to step back but she caught his sleeve.

"My wand," she managed to breath out. Then she pointed at the ground.

He flicked his wand and her's came flying out from under the bed next to hers. He handed it to her gently and she tucked it to her side. He turned to leave but she caught his sleeve again.

She realized that she couldn't say anything at this moment, but she stared intently into his onyx eyes. She wanted desperately to express how thankful she was and tried to relay that with a look. There was a quick moment where Snape's usual hard mask seemed to melt and his face softened in concern, but perhaps she just imagined it, for quickly the mask was back and he was prying her fingers off his sleeve. He left quickly after.

Madam Pomfrey was already waving her wand over her and summoning potions while examining her head. She was given a counter concussion regime, which involved three very foul potions that she struggled to swallow with her sore throat. Madam Pomfrey coaxed her through it looking like she was on the verge of tears herself. Madam Pomfrey obviously could see how close she had been to death a second time that night.

Finally, she was given another pain potion then a potion to repair the tissue damage to her throat. A thick past was also applied topically to the bruises on her neck. Madam Pomfrey then gave her a second dreamless sleep potion.

"I usually don't recommend two per night, but you need to rest and regain your strength. I made a mistake, but I will keep better watch over you tonight." Madam Pomfrey said quietly.

She was grateful when she slipped off again into a blank sleep.

* * *

She woke next still groggy.

It was like waking up after sleeping too long, but still feeling tired.

Harriet gave a grunt and opened her eyes. She heard some movement around her that came to a stop when she made a noise.

"Harry! Are you awake?" She opened her eyes finally to see the bleary face of Ron and Hermione over her. She blinked at them a few times, still not oriented.

"Madam Pomfrey, Harriet is waking up!" Hermione called and soon the nurse had replaced Hermione.

"Miss Potter, glad to see you waking. You had to have a heavy dose of potions yesterday, so I imagine that you are still a bit groggy." Madam Pomfrey said while observing her. "How do you feel? Can you answer?"

"I'm fine," her standard answer to the question came out horse, breathy, and a bit slurred.

"Perhaps not one hundred percent. Let's get you sitting up then you will be having a shower. That will wake you up a bit."

It was then that Harriet noticed her smell. Madam Pomfrey had done all she could to clean off most of the grime while tending to her the night before, but she still smelled like she had run a magical obstacle course then fought for her life twice. The ripe smell of sweat, dirt, and blood.

"Here you go," Hermione handed her some pajama's and her shampoo and conditioner. Madam Pomfrey handed her a towel. "Go wash up, then Dumbledore will be coming down later."

The shower was heavenly and changing into her soft pajamas was lovely. She charm dried her hair and then did her best to braid it. It was a loose brain, but not bad. She came out and Ron and Hermione were still sitting on chairs near her bed. That's when she noticed an absolutely massive pile of paper on the bed next to her and behind Ron.

"What are those?" she asked her voice still possessing a breathy quality. When she had looked in the bathroom mirror she had appeared mostly been healed, but there was still faint bruising on her face, neck, and ribs. Her bandages also needed to be redressed and Madam Pomfrey came over when she sat down on the bed.

"Those are well wishes," Ron said watching Madam Pomfrey unwrap her bandages. "And those are just the schools. The owls decided that we were the drop point this morning and Hermione and I were buried in letter's and packages all addressed to you." He chuckled.

She grimaced, another reminder that she had faced Voldemort very publicly yesterday. She distracted herself by looking down and saw the knife scar in the crook of her left elbow. Madam Pomfrey was examining it as well.

"Looks clean, let's just put some salve on it then we will bandage you up again." Madam Pomfrey said. She did just that then moved on to her right arm.

The right arm looked better and worst all at once. The arm had mostly healed thanks to Madam Pomfrey's expertise. But the scar was definitely there. It was an intricate pattern of white lines with red borders. Harriet knew that the red would leave eventually but the white lines, which crisscrossed and intersected from the top of her hand to just below her elbow, would always remain. Another scar. It looked like she was wearing a poorly made lace glove.

"It looks kinda cool mate," Ron broke the tense silence. The females in the room looked over at him and gave him weird looks.

"What? I'm just saying that as far as scars go, one made from lightning and is all swirly like that is pretty badass!" Ron said.

"Language," Madam Pomfrey scowled at him. Harriet looked at her scar in a new light. Maybe it was a little cool, she could live with it. If Ron thought it was cool, then other people would too, and maybe they wouldn't be grossed out by it.

Madam Pomfrey then gave her slave that she was meant to rub into all her bruises. And left with strict instructions that she could visit with her friends so long as she didn't leave the bed, or strain her still sensitive vocal cords.

"Those bruises on your neck are new?" Hermione questioned lightly.

Harriet gave them the very stilted and short version of last nights events.

By the end, Ron still looked white and Hermione was tearing up.

"You can't catch a break, can you?" Ron said.

"Merlin that's why there were so many Aurors running back and forth this morning… We heard that he tried to escape, but we didn't realize…" Hermione said.

Ron and Hermione changed the subject and tried to keep the tone light. It was clear from talking to Harriet that she was still in a state. Her mind wasn't fully on the conversation.

It felt like a lifetime ago that she had been sitting down for dinner, all happy and laughing with the Weasleys and Hermione. That had been dinner yesterday. She had lived a lifetime in those twenty-four hours.

"Do you think you will be coming to the end of year feast tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

Harriet wasn't sure how she felt about crowds, but she would have to be on the train anyway and she would love to be back in her cozy dorm tomorrow night.

"Yeah I think so," she wheezed.

"All of Hogwarts practically mobbed us this morning. Everyone is incredibly worried about you. Rumors that you are on death's door and about Crouch… you know… are running rampant. Everyone is out of their minds with worry. It was terrifying to have the whole Bulgarian contingent come stampeding toward us like a herd of Hippogriffs," Ron shuddered in fake horror.

"It's true, I don't think I have ever been so popular," Hermione grinned.

Their conversation was interrupted when the Hospital doors opened, and Dumbledore came striding in.

"Ah Harriet, I was thinking that we could have a chat," Dumbledore said while moving to the side of her bed. "Hello, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."

"Do you need us to leave sir?" Hermione asked shyly.

"Hmm no, you may stay and listen. I suspect you will hear everything anyway," Dumbledore said smiling. Hemione ran around to the other side of the bed with Ron to clear the chair for Dumbledore. She now didn't have a seat, so Harriet scooted over making some room in the bed. Hermione paused for one moment then sat with Harriet and grabbed her hand.

"Now that we are comfortable, I believe that I should start with Crouch. Harriet, I am going to tell you everything that has happened so far, because I truly believe, of everyone, you have a right to know. But will it be too difficult? Do you want to know? This man attacked you last night and I understand if the memory is too fresh." Dumbledore asked.

There was a pause. She had been terrified at the time. But it wasn't the man itself that frightened her, she would always have nightmares of being that close to dying and seeing the gray man afterward. But she was more interested in learning information, she would need information.

"I would like to know sir," she wheezed out.

"You're very strong Harriet," said Dumbledore smiling. "I do not know why I am constantly surprised by your resilience. Then Dumbledore leaned back and steepled his fingers.

"We used veritaserum to illicit a testimony from Crouch Jr and this was his story. His mother, who was a lovely woman, was dying and her final wish was that she could help her son. She convinced Barty Crouch Sr to do it, and when they went to visit their son in Azkaban they switched the mother and son. The dementors only sensed one healthy and one dying person coming in, and one healthy and one dying person leaving. Mrs. Crouch until the very end drank Polyjuice potion, then when she passed, she was thrown into an unmarked grave on the island still disguised as her son."

"Crouch Sr kept his own son under the imperius curse and made their house elf watch him night and day. Winky was charged with keeping Crouch Jr under control and this went on for a good long time. Unfortunately, this is the time that the World Cup and Triwizard Tournament were happening. When Bertha Jorkins came to drop something off at Crouch's residence, the rather nosy woman saw Crouch Jr. Blackmail against Crouch Sr allowed her to get a substantial sum and some vacation time. She went off to Albania and from there you know she met Peter Pettigrew."

"At the time, Bertha was also doing all the vetting for the Triwizard Tournament. Alastor Moody had agreed by then to be the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, so she knew from vetting that he would be there, and his home address. Which allowed Voldemort to gain that information."

"At the Quidditch world cup, Barty Crouch Sr was never going to take his seat in the top box. Instead, his son was sitting there under an invisibility cloak with Winky beside him. A gift to his son who loved quidditch."

Hermione and Ron let out a startled gasp.

"He was right behind us!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Indeed, and when he managed to briefly break the imperious. He stole your wand from your pocket, Harriet." Well now, that was a revelation.

"When the chaos erupted that night, Winky was dragged into the forest trying to control Crouch Jr. Unfortunately, he managed to send up the Dark Lord's sign, and the ministry officials appeared. When Crouch's house elf was found, Crouch went into the woods and found his son also stunned and under an invisibility cloak. He fired Winky and then came back for his son later."

"It is about this time that I believe Voldemort came for Crouch Jr when Crouch Sr was out of the house. They together managed to overpower Alastor Moody and Barty Couch Jr took his place via polyjuice. Crouch Sr, of course, was worrying constantly about his son being loose in the world, and it was wearing on him. Crouch Sr was going to come clean, so I believe that to be sure, Pettigrew kidnapped him and imperiused him sometime after the first task."

The three teens were staring wide-eyed at Dumbledore.

"Crouch Sr was kept under the imperius and sent his instruction via mail to Percy Weasley. However, a month before the third task, he escaped and was found by yourself and Mr. Krum. You ran up to tell me and ran into Professor Moody along the way."

Harriet hung her head, she had been such an idiot.

"I do not tell you this to mean it was your fault, Harriet. You did everything right. You did not know that Crouch was disguised as Moody, and I believe that Crouch had some idea from Pettigrew that he needed to keep an eye out for his father." Dumbledore said to her softly.

"He attacked Krum from behind and killed Crouch Sr. Then came back just in time for us to find him with the stunned Krum. He then went off and transfigured the body of his father into a bone and buried him in the forest."

There was a pregnant pause. The three teens looked down in their laps. They did not know Crouch Sr but he still died trying to warn them.

"During the third task Crouch Jr was responsible for the little mistakes that the Champions faced. A transfiguration here and a change in the maze there led the other champions into the most difficult traps and didn't allow them to escape. He trusted you to do well, considering your aptitude so far. And may I say that in that regard he was right, you did incredibly during the third task Harriet, your problem-solving ability was extraordinary and a pleasure to watch. You really did do Hogwarts proud." Dumbledore smiled at her and she flushed at the praise. She was not feeling particularly happy at the praise because of what her apparent aptitude forced her to do.

Dumbledore seemed to read her expression. "Do not let the fact that Voldemort changed the outcome of the tournament take away from your incredible displays of magic, Harriet. You did everything right."

"I would like to know what the Runespoor said to you, but I believe we must continue with the story first. Unfortunately, your remarkable performance in the maze is overshadowed by the event that happened next. Voldemorts trap sprung. When you so cleverly figured out who was the spy at Hogwarts, I restrained Crouch and tried to find your location. Unfortunately, Voldemort knew about the Videus Charm and played it close to the chest on the location of the graveyard. You fought tooth and nail and through sheer force of will alone, you were able to return to us. Though badly injured." Here Dumbledore shook his head.

"You know some of what happened next, and I was unable to convince Fudge to move Crouch immediately. The Aurors and hit Wizards were busy mounting a raid against Walden Macnair's place of residence, looking into Pettigrew's file, and trying to find the Graveyard. Resources were stretched thin last night."

"I placed professors on rotation guarding the door. At around four this morning, Professor Sinistra, who had just taken over from Flitwick, was attacked from behind. Winky left the unconscious professor and tried to save her master's son. I do not believe that she meant you harm. I also believe that, like before, she was trying to control Crouch Jr. This was to fulfill the last request from the late Mr. Crouch. But Crouch Jr had other plans and killed poor Winky to escape."

Ron, Hermione, and Harriet all made a sound of horror. Harriet had never become friends with Winky like she had Dobby, but it was still horrible to hear. She also couldn't find it in herself to hate the little creature and felt only pity instead.

"I can't believe she let him go after everything she must have seen on the Videus screen. Everything that Harry went through," Ron said with his eyes wide.

Dumbledore sadly shook his head.

"In Winky's eyes, she was still Crouch's elf. Now here you see the dangers of blind loyalty. Despite the danger, Winky was doing all she could for the Crouch family, but not out of love or because she thought it was the right thing to do. She did it because from her conception that is what she had been taught, her life had one purpose and it was to serve the Crouch family." Dumbledore seemed to heave a sigh.

"Miss Granger, I greatly admired you starting your campaign for house elves this year, regardless of the unfortunate acronym," Dumbledore said turning to Hermione. Hermione flushed a bright red.

"I know that it was a nearly impossible campaign, but you have kept at it and you realize that wizardkind has committed a terrible atrocity regarding the race of house elves. We have taken a peaceful, loving, intelligent creature and chained them and brainwashed them over thousands of years. It is perhaps the greatest horror that still exists today, and sadly wizardkind has brainwashed themselves into believing that this is the norm." Dumbledore sadly shook his head.

"The world can only be made better when people have the freedom to choose to be better. Last night Dobby had that choice and he was able to choose to save you, Harriet. He made that choice out of love and because he knew it was the right thing to do. He was able to inform me in time and I was able to save you." He gave her a significant look, and she nodded slightly.

"The fate of the house elves is what Voldemort wants for the rest of the magical world. He wants muggles and muggleborns to bow in deference to a select group of purebloods. He wants blind servitude and loyalty born from fear. Over time he wants muggleborns and muggles and every other magical creature to truly believe that they should bow to pureblood wizardkind and never to question their place. Just like the house elves bow to wizard kind now. It is very dangerous for wizards egos to have such a ready and easy example of slavery available."

Dumbledore was very grave. The silence in the room was palpable. The teens were wide-eyed and even Madam Pomfrey had stopped moving about obviously eavesdropping on the conversation. There was a moment of silence when everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

Hermione's eyes were on fire though. Harriet could tell that validation of her cause from Dumbledore after everyone else had shot her down, was the only thing she needed to take this to the very end. Harriet had always thought Hermione was very smart, but suddenly the breadth of her intelligence and kindness outweighed any amazing feat that Harriet had ever done or would probably ever do in her life. She was good for stunts and firefights, but she believed that Hermione was going to change the world.

"I am sorry to say that I never did anything about the house elves in my lifetime. But this is why I love teaching. This is the greatest feat of my life. To help sculpt amazing students, who grow to become amazing adults that shape the world around them for the better. Students who will spontaneously start small little ripples that become huge waves. Students like you three are going to be needed in the coming years. There is going to be very difficult times ahead, and I believe that who we should look to in these times to draw inspiration is your generation." Dumbledore smiled at them.

Again, there was a pregnant pause where the entire room was quiet save some bustling by Madam Pomfrey.

"I suspect I will be very busy this summer. How the ministry will react to the return of Voldemort will be crucial, but if what Fudge said yesterday was any indication, I suspect an inadequate response to the danger will be the result. For right now though, you need to rest Harriet. Tomorrow an Auror will come by and collect a statement from you about the incident in the graveyard and the incident with Crouch. I held them off today, but they will not wait any longer than that." Dumbledore said softly to her. "They will probably be most interested in the part that was in Parseltongue."

Harriet nodded, "Voldemort said… It would be a waste to kill me. That I was… young and… pretty and a parselmouth. He said my half-blood status could be forgiven, especially due to my father's blood. He said that I should have accepted his offer to join him years ago when I stood in front of the mirror of Erised. That he could have brought my parents back and made me strong. I told him that he offered nothing but lies." She said truthfully. Dumbledore looked pained and Hermione and Ron looked disturbed.

"That is distressing Harriet. And I am so sorry that you had to go through that," Dumbledore said angrily. "I am also sorry that you had to face any of that last night. I never wanted you to meet Crouch Jr at all."

Harriet hesitated a moment then realized that if she didn't ask now, she would never get a chance.

"Sir, last night was horrible, but I… wasn't really thinking straight when Crouch managed to… gain the upper hand," Harriet licked her lips feeling anxious. "Maybe it was because he banged my head but… I saw _him_ last night. The grey man."

Dumbledore sat up and Hermione and Ron gave her wide-eyed looks.

"When Crouch fell down the stairs and… died. I had flipped over and saw the whole thing. I was… disoriented, but… I watched… _H_ _im_ creep around the corner of the archway. And he went to grab Crouch… But then he looked at me," Harriet was beginning to hyperventilate as she remembered the fear that had gripped her body. "I… have never been so scared… I couldn't think… my whole body froze… then Sn… you flipped me over and when I looked back… there was only Crouch," She was breathing heavily and her eyes were screwed tight.

"Am I going crazy… I am seeing impossible things and my dreams are always so… intense," she opened her eyes to look at Dumbledore who was looking at her in amazement.

"I highly doubt you are going crazy. Truly crazy people rarely question if they are crazy. I think you know what you are seeing… I have never given much thought to greater entities, but I do believe you are seeing something that is beyond our realm. I think that this grey man has only been seen by few before you, but that he is appearing to you now due to your exposure to strange and old magic as an infant. Many forces were at play the night your parents died, and I think that the result is a connection to this entity beyond our mortal reckoning…" he paused as he let that bombshell sink in.

"S-sir, you can't mean that Harriet is seeing a… a god?" Hermione questioned with huge eyes, absorbing the information like a sponge.

"This is purely theoretical on my part, but I am more inclined to call it a force. There are real things in this world that exist but can't be understood, quantified, touched, or controlled. Love, life… death," here he gave them a significant look. Any doubts about the grey man's identity vanished.

"I don't know what this means Harriet, or what… _He_ wants, and I suspect that there is no one who will truly be able to give you an answer. This is unfair but… I believe this is your quest, he has some connection to you Harriet, but know that we will be behind your every decision." Dumbledore said softly.

Harriet gulped. Would she have to face _him?_

Another heavy silence reigned.

"These are heavy thoughts, that I do not believe we will get an answer to tonight. Dinner is just about to start, and I believe Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger should head down to the great hall to spread the good cheer that you are alive and recovering." Dumbledore said while standing.

"Harriet, you must rest one more night and let Madam Pomfrey spoil her favorite patient." He said with a smile at Harriet.

"Humpf, she is my favorite patient because she is the patient I have the most exposure too. Always in the hospital wing this one," said Madam Pomfrey with a mock glare to Harriet as she came back around the corner.

Dumbledore chuckled and the teens smiled, "too true, but hopefully, you will be joining us for dinner tomorrow night."

With another smile, he left, and Hermione and Ron left soon after. She was left alone and was given dinner by a house elf. She made sure to give the elf a huge thank you, and she watched the little creatures face light up in joy at the most basic manners.

Hermione and Dumbledore were right, she needed to put more effort into S.P.E.W.

* * *

 **Quick synopsis of the first half. Crouch Junior escapes and attacks Harriet in the hospital wing. He manages to gain the upper hand but is stopped by Snape. Snape accidentally sends Crouch Junior tumbling down a set of stairs and Crouch is killed. Harriet witnesses the entire thing. She is more surprised when the Grey man appears near Crouch Junior's body. The Grey man creeps toward the body but turns to her in the last second. Harriet is incredibly frightened of the grey man but is distracted when Snape turns her attention from the scene. Snape calms her down from a panic attack and she notices that the Grey man has disappeared. Dobby is also present and trying to calm her down. Dobby had warned the nearest teacher who happened to be Snape, then warned Dumbledore. Dumbledore comes soon after and takes in the scene. He asks Snape about how the 'meeting' went. Snapes responds that it was painful but that he was believed. Snape remarks that it doesn't matter because he wouldn't be believed after Voldemort finds out about Crouch Jr. Dumbledore then turns to Dobby and Harriet and asks them to keep a secret. He asks them to lie and say that it was actually himself that saved Harriet and not Snape. Harriet and Dobby agree. Snape takes Harriet back to the Hospital wing and leaves Dumbledore to deal with the aftermath.**


	26. Comrades

Harriet boarded the train and her, Ron and Hermione took their usual compartment at the back. Neville had joined them with Ginny and the twins. It was packed, but she knew the twins would be in and out for the day.

Ron was doing a lot to try and keep Harriet's spirits raised, so he started a lively game of exploding snaps.

Harriets mind, however, was still thinking over the end of year feast last night and the subsequent morning.

* * *

The end of year feast had been awkward and had also brought her close to tears.

She went to the feast a bit late with Hermione and Ron. Madam Pomfrey had been absolutely horrified by what happened in her hospital wing with Crouch Junior and had taken doting nurse duty to the extreme. It had been a nightmare to get out of the Hospital wing, but honestly, Harriet didn't mind too much.

The great hall had once again stopped the moment she walked in, and whispers exploded throughout the room. People were craning their necks and standing on the benches to get a look at her.

She found herself ducking slightly as she made her way towards the Gryffindor table.

As she approached, she saw all the Gryffindor fourth years in the usual spot on the table and she made her way towards them.

Lavender and Parvati had wide eyes as they approached and soon Lavender couldn't contain herself.

Lavender jumped up, ran up to them, and then threw her arms around Harriet. She proceeded to ball her eyes out, and soon Parvati had also joined in and she was buried under two weeping girls.

While Hermione was her best friend, she was still good friends with Parvati and Lavender. Harriet understood that she had probably scared the shit out of them two nights ago and the girls would have missed her terribly if she didn't make it back. She rubbed their backs and felt her own eyes get a little misty.

Soon they released her, but she was pulled in for another hug by Neville. The shy boy usually wasn't much for hugs, but she figured this was a special circumstance.

Finally, she was pulled in for a hug by Fleur who had jumped up from the Ravenclaw table to hug her when she had entered.

They continued to their seating and the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs waved or nodded on either side of her. Some Gryffindors squeezed her arms as they went by. The Quidditch team girls all gave her hugs as she walked by too, wiping under their eyes as she passed. She passed Cedric who stood up and pulled her into a hug.

"Harriet, I'm sorry we didn't believe you when you said you didn't put your name in the cup. You really were amazing, you know. None of us could have survived what you did," Cedric said after he pulled away. Cedric's friends all looked absolutely miserable and apologized to her.

She was embarrassed by all the attention. But she figured that this was just going to get worse. Soon she had sat down, but only after Dean and Seamus had given her hugs as well.

Ginny and Colin waved, and the younger Gryffindor's stared wide-eyed.

When everyone was settled, Dumbledore stood up. The hall went silent, and Dumbledore took a long moment to gather his thoughts.

"I have lived a long life and seen many students pass through these halls. The most important gift that Hogwarts will teach you, is the value of friendship and the importance of coexisting peacefully. We separate into houses not for the sake of competition, but for the sake of learning that different values are equally important, but only together can Hogwarts thrive. We live near the forest and the lake, so that students can learn that magical beast should be appreciated and protected. We live near tribes of centaurs and the mermaids, so that if students are lucky enough, they can learn respect and tolerance for different cultures and peoples. We invite student here with the sole exception that they want to explore and learn magic. Hogwarts does not care where they come from, Hogwarts does not care what they have, Hogwarts has always been a home for anyone that can see that magic is beautiful and wishes to use it."

"This tournament was a way to broaden all student's horizon's, to experience a different culture, but mostly to see that no matter the language or heritage, we are human. This tournament is about strengthening our bonds in the magical community and making friends."

There was a very pregnant pause.

"Someone thought to twist and defile this purpose…. Voldemort has risen." The room shuddered and a few people squeaked in fear.

"Voldemort tried to make this tournament about pain and death. To use the Videus Charm to spread his message of hate and fear…."

He paused again and everyone was hanging on his words with bated breath.

"But in the darkest hour and with no hope, Harriet Potter said 'Never.'" Harriet felt her face flush and many faces turn to her.

"There are many dark hours ahead, and the road will be difficult. Voldemort seeks to divide and conquer this world, and that is why this tournament is now more important than ever. Unity and friendship are the greatest weapons against Voldemort, and the bonds that we have created this year are another stone in our defense. To unite as a school, as a community, is to say _Never_ to hate and fear."

"Now I invite you to raise your glass and toast to Harriet Potter, for showing us that there is a choice. That there is hope. That even in the darkest and most terrifying of moments you can do what is right and not what is easy…. To Harriet."

"To Harriet!" the school toasted back. Harriet kept her face forward.

* * *

She had spent the rest of the night packing and then spent some time in the boy's dorms with all the girls.

They were having a little last hoorah, the boys brought out the gobstones and they were having a tournament.

Harriet was quieter and ended up sitting with Neville on his bed watching the chaos that was the gobstones tournament. She focused on Neville when she felt him shift beside her.

"Harriet," Neville said. "I have your back, alright." Neville was looking down at his lap and fiddling with his hem.

"Pardon?" Harriet questioned.

Neville looked at her then, "I-I'm pretty useless, but I am going to get better. And when the time comes, if you need me, I'll be there."

Harriet stared wide-eyed at Neville.

"W-what are you saying?"

Neville shrugged, "there is going to be a war you know. I know what side I'm on."

Then he was called over because it was his turn and Harriet was left to mull over those words. She was confused, scared, and yet inexplicably relieved beyond measure. She had allies.

* * *

The morning was hectic like it always was when everyone was rushing to the train.

But there was time for McGonagall to pull her over.

"I went recently to the Dursleys, Harriet," she stated and instantly got Harriet's attention.

"I have informed them, in no uncertain terms, of what we think of their behavior towards you, and only you not filing charges resulted in them not ending up in wizarding prison. I also told them about the article. I have modified your room so that it only locks from the inside. I have put up a charm to alert Dumbledore if you are not being fed three meals a day and if the Dursleys touch you in a violent way. You are to send a letter to Dumbledore every three days, and the Dursleys know that if you don't there will be an en mass movement of wizards into Privet Drive to check on you. I also told them that they are not to restrict your movement, interrupt your studying, or assign chores. I told them, if you haven't finished your homework at the end of summer in a satisfactory manner, then I will be coming myself again in September, they seemed very upset at the prospect. Any bad reports from you will get us there in a moments notice, Harriet, and I said if they stayed out of your way then you would stay out of theirs. Does that seem reasonable?"

Harriet stared at McGonagall shocked, "er… yes."

"Good, now I know it isn't the greatest part of your year, but I still hope you have a pleasant summer, Harriet," said McGonagall with a small smile. Harriet smiled back.

Harriet was next approached by Krum and Fleur.

Fleur gave her a long hug and then a kiss on the cheek. Krum shook her hand. In that time Cedric had come over as well.

"Well, eet haz been an interesting year, non?" said Fleur with a smile. "But I am very 'appy to 'ave met you all."

"Myself as vell. Hogvarts is a good place." Krum said with an appreciative glance at the castle.

"How will you get back? I heard Karkaroff disappeared." Cedric asked. Apparently, Karkaroff ran in the middle of her battle with Voldemort.

"Ve vill be fine. The coward did nothing to steer the ship, it vas up to us," Krum told them, with a disgusted look at the mention of Karkaroff.

"Um… excuse me," a voice interrupted, they all turned to see Colin Creevey standing just off the side.

"Hi Colin," Harriet said.

"Heya Harry, I was just wondering if I could get a picture of all the champions. The background is good right there," Colin said with a flush to his cheeks.

"Why zat iz an excellent idea!" Fleur said, clapping her hands.

Krum shrugged and Cedric smiled. Harriet was fine with it.

Fleur placed her hand on Harriet's shoulder, and Krum settled a large hand on the other. Cedric came up beside Fleur and did the same.

"Zis iz not a smiling photo. Zis iz to show ze world zat we are not competitors, we are comrades!" Fleur said lifting her head like a queen and giving Colin her most regal and fierce look. Cedric looked at the camera and fixed it with a determined gaze. Krum straightened his back from its usual hunched position and lifted his chin in pride.

Harriet felt herself straighten as well. She looked at the camera and for the first time in her life did not feel awkward behind the lens.

The camera flashed and she blinked.

"Mr. Creevey," they all turned to see Professor McGonagall approaching. Colin kind of shrunk down. "You will send me a copy of that photo so I may put it in the trophy room. Understood?"

Colin lit up like a Christmas tree.

* * *

"Harry do you want a turn?"

Harriet was awoken from her musing by Ron asking her if she wanted to play exploding snaps.

She shook her head. "No, thanks, Ron."

Ron sighed and packed up his game. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"Just…" Harriet struggled to articulate her answer. "Is everything going to be different now? I wanted to survive the tournament and get back to the regular life, but it feels more like I have just taken the first step in a long hike."

The compartment contemplated the answer to that.

"Yeah," said Ron. "I reckon it will be, but not everything will be different. You still have us."

She smiled at him. Then she spotted the twins whispering.

"Guys why were you trying to get in contact with Bagman?" she asked, curious despite herself.

The twins shrugged.

"It doesn't really matter now," said Fred.

"Yeah, we were actually trying to get our money back," said George.

"Remember how we made a bet with him at the Quidditch world cup –"

"That Ireland would win—"

"But Krum would get the snitch?"

"Well we won, but he paid us in leprechaun gold."

"Therefore, it disappeared."

"So, we may have kinda been trying to blackmail him," said Fred sheepishly.

"WHAT!" everyone yelled.

"Well, we thought it was an honest mistake at first," said George.

"And we asked nicely," said Fred.

"But he just ignored us,"

"Turns out he was in deep with goblins and owed a lot of other people."

"He had a bet on you Harriet from the beginning. He used your low odds to win big,"

"But instead of paying people back—"

"He took the money and left the country,"

"There was a big thing in the Prophet yesterday,"

"We lost our savings, but honestly with everything that happened –" said George.

"Well we just feel it isn't worth it," said Fred.

"But… you guys want to start a joke shop," said Ginny sadly.

"And we will poppet!" said George.

"We just need some more time is all, it will come together," said Fred.

Harriet began musing and made a decision.

There was general chatter again then Fred and George left to find Lee, Ginny went to say goodbye to her friends, and Neville left to say goodbye to Seamus and Dean.

There was companionable silence between the three of them until Hermione broke it.

"Guys, I have something to tell you," Hermione said with an excited whisper. "I couldn't before because it was just so busy, but… I found out how Skeeter was getting her scoops,"

"Hermione," said Ron exasperated. "I warned you about getting into a fight with that woman. She is a nasty piece of work,"

"Well I have Ron, and I have her beaten," said Hermione proudly.

Harriet interrupted before another fight could break out, "What did you find?"

Hermione bit her lip and with a flourish, she pulled something from her book bag. It was a jar with holes punched in the top, and inside was a regular old beetle.

Ron and Harriet shared a look.

"Really you two," said Hermione. "Look at the markings on the head."

Harriet looked closer and saw that indeed there was a pattern on the beetle's face.

"Skeeter was using bugs to listen?" Ron asked.

"No Ron, Skeeter is the bug… she is an unregistered animagus, whose form… is a beetle," Hermione grinned evilly and stared at the beetle in the jar.

Ron and Harriet's jaw dropped, and they took a better look at the bug.

Then Harriet's eyes became misty, "the Yule ball, when I overheard Hagrid and Madam Maxine talking, there was a beetle on my dress. I thought it was weird cause it was so late in the year."

"And at the lake!" Ron exclaimed. "Krum pointed out there was a beetle in your hair," Ron said while pointing at Hermione.

"Exactly! That day we saw Pansy and thought she was talking in a walkie talkie? Well, that was just this old beetle. What you said about bugging gave me a clue Harriet, and then it was just fitting it together." Said Hermione smugly. "I caught her on the windowsill of the Hospital wing and put her in an unbreakable jar. I'll release her when I get out of the station. But I don't think that she will be writing any more exclusives about you, Harry. Unless she wants to end up in Azkaban."

Harriet and Ron both gave her impressed looks.

"You have outdone yourself this time Hermione. That was absolutely brilliant! Scary… but brilliant!" Ron said and Hermione flushed.

"Thanks, Hermione," said Harriet gratefully.

One less thing for her to worry about. She had the greatest friends.

* * *

They pulled into the station, and Harriet noticed it was more packed than usual. Parents and grandparents lined the station, their faces anxious.

And at the back, she could see many officially dressed wizards in matching robes.

"Those are Aurors," Ron said spotting where she was looking.

The train stopped and people began piling off and their parents were quick to grab their children and head to the exit.

Harriet, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins made their way over to where Mrs. Weasely and Mr. Weasley were standing. Harriet could see farther back from the Weasleys the Dursleys were standing looking nervously around them.

She was distracted from walking by a sight to her right, a little way down the platform.

Platinum blonde hair shining in the light, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy stood as Draco walked over to them. The entire family was stiff, but Mr. Malfoy carried himself imperiously.

As Draco approached, Mrs. Malfoy reached out a hand and placed it on Draco's cheek. While she and Draco greeted each other, Mr. Malfoy's eyes scanned the platform. His eyes locked with her and held. His lips crawled up into a sinister sneer and she returned a hate-filled glare.

That man was vile.

She was woken from her glare off by a hand on her shoulder. It was Fred and George. They had obviously stopped and waited for her when she had stopped.

"Not the time –" said Fred.

"Nor the place," said George.

They sent their own glares toward the Malfoys.

She looked away and nodded, but stopped the twins before they could lead her other to the rest of the Family.

"Guys, I am going to give this to you." She said as she stooped down and opened her truck. She grabbed the bag that held the winnings for the Triwizard Tournament and handed it to them. She had already tried to foster off the winnings on Mrs. Weasley, Krum, Cedric and Fleur.

Fleur had been particularly incensed and went on a rant about taking money from an orphan who just fought a dark wizard. The rest was very colourful French.

The twins looked gobsmacked at the bag.

"Oh no, Harriet, I don't think so," Fred said.

"That's yours Poppet," Said George.

"Guys you have to," she said seriously.

"Uh uh,"

"No way,"

Harriet frowned at them.

"Fine, think of it this way. I want to make an investment in your shop. I will be your initial backer," she said seriously again, daring them to defy her. That gave the twins pause.

They looked at each other then looked back at Harriet.

"Your Joking?" Fred said.

"That's a lot of money, Harry," George added.

"I know, and I don't bloody want it. I didn't even win fair and square anyway. I think a lot of people are going to need laughs soon, and you guys are a smart investment." She nodded resolutely.

Fred and George gave her a long look. Then they turned back to each other and seemed to have an entire discussion silently.

"Are you sure?" George asked, looking back at her.

"Never been surer in my life," she said as she thrust the bag in their hands with a smile.

Fred held the bag, slightly wide-eyed and disbelieving. George just shook his head in awe.

"This means a lot to us, Harriet, we will pay you back one day," George said seriously.

"No need George. Just do me one favor, buy Ron a set of dress robes that don't look like they used to belong to his great aunt," she said with a grimace.

Fred and George laughed but agreed.

They turned and started to walk back over to their family and friends, but Harriet spared one last glance towards the Malfoys.

Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy were distracted, but Draco's eyes met her own. The mask was back in place, so his face was unreadable, but his eyes looked into her own with intensity.

She had not sought him out after the events in the Graveyard. He hadn't come to her either. She didn't know what to say to him. Didn't know how to approach.

His family was standing in direct opposition to her. His family was her enemy.

She wondered how it all ended up so complicated. Her first crush was in league with her nemesis. It seemed typical of her luck to put her in such a situation.

But she would need to have her wits about her. She couldn't afford to like Malfoy. She would have to let go of any feelings she had grown for the boy. She felt an uneasiness settle over her at the thought and the feeling of regret well up for a moment.

She shook off the feeling and broke eye contact with Draco. Then she walked over to the Weasleys.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave her a big hug when she got over to them. They held her for a moment then Mrs. Weasley kissed her cheek.

"We'll be in contact darling," Mrs. Weasley said and shot a look over her shoulder.

Standing off the side looking distinctly unimpressed was Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. They had their noses in the air as if they smelled something foul and they were eyeing the Weasleys with displeasure.

Finally, Uncle Vernon was at the end of his patience.

"Well, come on girl!" he snapped.

As one, the Weasleys and many surrounding families looked over and glared at the Dursleys. By now everyone had read Skeeter's infamous article and they knew exactly how the Dursleys treated her.

Harriet saw Mrs. Weasley start to puff up in her fury, and she laid a calming hand on Mrs. Weasley's arm.

"Coming," she called. "It's alright, Mrs. Weasley. It's a necessary evil, and McGonagall scared them good."

Mrs. Weasley continued to glare. "You owl if you need anything dear, anything at all. We will be there in a jiffy if we don't hear from you, okay?"

She smiled, grabbed her things and made her way over to the now nervous looking Uncle Vernon.

As she walked away, she found herself feeling nostalgic. There were going to be a lot of changes and she was going to be at the center of a lot of the madness. But what happened had happened, and she would face the future as it came.

She would be ready, she would fight.

* * *

 **Final Chapter done. Thanks to everyone who followed, liked and reviewed. I hope to keep this going but don't have it in the works yet. Hopefully soon though. The next one is definitely going to have to be more creative to change one of the major plot points of book 5. Thanks again!**


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